Rumsey B. “Rooster” Taylor, IE 50, of Princeton, Ky., on July 8. As a teenager, Taylor suffered from rheumatic fever, his spirits once lifted by a surprise letter from Tech athletic director and football coach W.A. Alexander, who encouraged him to overcome his illness and make a visit to Tech once he had recovered.
Taylor later earned a football scholarship to the Institute. In his first game as a Yellow Jacket, the 1945 Orange Bowl, Taylor started off wearing his usual number 19. But during the game’s first half, his jersey was torn. He was handed a replacement—number 17—and proceeded to score Tech’s second touchdown of the match, baffling the game’s radio announcer, who enthused about a “mystery player” to his audience nationwide.
Taylor’s time on campus and on the gridiron was interrupted by his Army service in World War II, but he returned to Tech to complete his degree and compete again in the Orange Bowl in 1948. He later had a career with the Princeton Lumber Company. Sons: Rumsey “Buz” Taylor III, CE 76, and Dixon Taylor, CE 81.
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