Long time Kansas City Chiefs Wide receiver Otis Taylor, who helped lead the franchise to its first Super Bowl victory in 1970, has died, the team confirmed Friday.
Taylor, who spent more than 10 years with Kansas City, he died Thursday after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease and dementia.
«The Kansas City Chiefs organization is saddened by the passing of Otis Taylor. My family and I want to express our deepest condolences to Otis’ wife Regina, his sister Odell and the entire Taylor family as we mourn his passing,» Chiefs president and CEO Clark Hunt said in a statement.
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«Otis was Chief throughout his 11-year career, and he played an integral role in our franchise’s early success. He became a Kansas City icon with his signature touchdown run in Super Bowl IV, while helping the Chiefs to bring home our first Lombardi Trophy,» Clark added.
«He was one of the most dynamic receivers of his day and helped revolutionize the position. Off the field, he was kind and dedicated to his community. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. Otis’s legacy will live on forever as a member of the Chiefs Hall of Fame.»
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Taylor was selected by the Chiefs in the fourth round of the 1965 AFL draft and would go on to have a dynamic career alongside the legendary quarterback. Len Dawson, who died just seven months before Taylor.
Despite his many accolades, including two Pro Bowl selections, two 1,000-yard seasons and the iconic 46-yard touchdown reception he helped the Chiefs defeat minnesota vikings in Super Bowl IV, Taylor was never inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
«Otis made my job easy,» Dawson once said. «If you gave Otis the pass, you knew he was going to get it.»
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A two-time AFL champion and AFL MVP, Taylor played for the Chiefs from 1965 to 1975. He finished his career with 7,306 receiving yards and 57 receiving touchdowns.
In 1990, Taylor was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and associated dementia, prompting his family to file a lawsuit against the NFL in 2012, alleging that the league was legally responsible for the health problems he experienced, beginning with seizures in 1969.
Associated Press contributed to this report.