Former Chicago Bears Star DB Has Died

On Friday afternoon, the NFL community and sporting world received some bad news about a beloved former player.

Longtime Chicago Bears defensive back Roosevelt Taylor passed away, the team confirmed in a statement this afternoon. He was 82 years old.

Taylor joined the Bears after a standout college football career at Grambling State. He was art of Grambling’s first SWAC Championship defense in 1960 – a group that included four future All-Pro players.

Taylor spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Bears, before finishing his career with the Washington Redskins. He also had a stint with the San Francisco 49ers spliced in after the Bears traded him during the 1969 season.

From the Bears statement:

Taylor is ranked as the 56th best player in Bears history by Hall of Fame writers Don Pierson and Dan Pompei in the “Chicago Bears Centennial Scrapbook,” which was published last year to commemorate the team’s 100th season.

During the first nine seasons of his NFL career with the Bears, Taylor never missed a game. He became a vital part of Chicago’s defense and even helped the team to an NFL title during the 1963 season.

Taylor was named first-team All-Pro and voted to the Pro Bowl after leading the NFL with a career-high nine interceptions during that season.

He appeared in 118 contests with 108 starts and registered 23 interceptions during his NFL career.

Our thoughts are with the Taylor family.