A 12-man committee will convene this week to nominate a pool of 25 senior semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Things could prove different for Kansas City Chiefs WR Otis Taylor this year too.
There has been a logjam among senior candidates in recent years, given the Pro Football Hall of Fame has typically selected a single senior candidate for enshrinement. Back in April, leaders of the Hall of Fame passed significant changes to their bylaws, allowing expansion of senior finalists for the next three years (2023, 2024 and 2025). The 12-man senior committee can now nominate up to three senior finalists per year during each of those years. With 80 percent approval from committee members, those three finalists can be elected to the Hall of Fame, which would expand a given class to nine enshrinees.
That’s big news for Taylor, who has mostly been looked over during his time in the senior pool of candidates. The 29th overall pick in the 1965 AFL draft out of Prairie View A&M, Taylor was a highly decorated receiver during his time with the Chiefs. Before the merger, he was a two-time AFL champion and AFL championship MVP. He earned first-team and second-team All-AFL honors (1966, 1967). He even led the league in receiving touchdowns in 1967.
When the merger happened, his greatness transcended league play. In 1969, he’d become a Super Bowl champion with his own Jet Chip Wasp moment — a 46-yard touchdown reception to all but ensure his team defeat the Minnesota Vikings and become champions. He’d earn first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in 1971, the year he also led the NFL in receiving yards. He’d also earn first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors the following year in 1972.
Taylor currently ranks third in franchise history behind Chiefs TE Travis Kelce with 7,306 receiving yards. His 57 receiving touchdowns are also tied for the second-most in franchise history with Kelce. Taylor was also inducted into the Chiefs Ring of Honor in 1982.
Really, Taylor was the NFL’s prototypical receiver plucked out of time. The 6-3 and 210-pound wideout was a size/speed threat that could’ve thrived in today’s NFL. His numbers certainly rival those great receivers who are already in the Hall of Fame, as noted by our friends at Touchdown Wire during their countdown of the 51 greatest HBCU players.
“During his career, Taylor ranked fifth in receptions (410; tied with Lance Alworth, who’s in the Hall of Fame), sixth in receiving yards (7,306; more than Don Maynard, who’s in the Hall of Fame), and tied for sixth in touchdowns (49; also more than Maynard, who was considered the pre-eminent deep threat of his era). If you get the idea that we’re stanning for Taylor to get his bust in Canton, you are absolutely correct.”
Taylor’s candidacy for the Hall of Fame won’t be without its challenges, even with the expansion. Over 50 all-decade players remain in the senior pool of candidates. Taylor wasn’t ever named to an all-decade team, with his dominance coming across the end of one decade and the first two seasons of another. That could be the biggest challenge remaining for Taylor, who at 79 years old still awaits his enshrinement.
Only time will tell if this year will be different for Taylor, but there are many hopefuls in the Chiefs Kingdom who believe his time is coming soon.