TicketsReggie Taylor was born on February 8, 1964, the second of three children born to Eugene and Pauline Taylor. While his mother described their family as "non-athletic" type in an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer in 1986, Reggie was the outlier, which would become a recurring theme in his football career. Born in Lynwood, California (about 20 minutes south of Los Angeles), Reggie attended Lynwood High School and made a name for himself locally as the star running back. Despite a senior season impacted by injuries, Taylor ran for more than 1,300 yards. He was given the nicknames "Baby Herschel" and "Baby Campbell" by teammates––a nod to legendary running backs Herschel Walker and Earl Campbell. He was a two-time South Coast all-star by the time of his graduation. While the Los Angeles Times raved about his "game-breaker type" talent, his size kept him from garnering national attention.
Reggie was described as 5'7" "with one-inch heels" and 170 pounds "soaking wet" coming out of high school. Because of this, Hawaii and Cincinnati were the only two programs that offered him a scholarship. Taylor had built a relationship with Cincinnati assistant coach Cary Godette, who recruited Reggie while on Wyoming's staff. Reggie decided to follow Cary into college and signed his letter of intent in February 1983, committing to the Bearcats.
Reggie listed the possibility of playing time as a freshman as one of his reasons for arriving in Clifton. That was not the only reason, however. Cincinnati gave him an option to escape an area that was becoming increasingly violent. In an interview during his time in Cincinnati, Reggie said, "It seems like every time I go home to visit, I hear somebody else has died." He wanted to get away, and UC offered an escape more than 3,000 miles away.
Taylor arrived on campus to a running back room without a leader. James Bettis and Allen Harvin, the two running backs who had led the team in rushing the previous five seasons, had both graduated. Harvin and Bettis were #1 and #2 on the career rushing leaderboard at Cincinnati leading up to the 1983 season, giving Reggie enormous shoes to fill in the backfield.
He spent the first two games of his freshman season, including Cincinnati's historic upset over reigning champion Penn State, on the bench, getting his first carry against Louisville. He fumbled. He finished the game with 70 yards, but Reggie was not satisfied. In an interview the week after the game, he admitted he "made some mistakes on a few things," stating that he wanted to "make sure the bad doesn't happen again." The next contest was against Cornell, and Baby Herschel had the first of many explosive stat lines of his career, running for 181 yards on 20 carries, including 131 in the first quarter alone. After that performance, he took over the starting role and led the team with 784 yards rushing as a freshman.
Heading into the 1984 campaign, UC prepared a "Taylor-Made Offense," according to headlines during preseason camp. Head coach Dave Currey and his staff wanted to get Reggie more involved, especially in the passing game. And while he did receive about 21 touches per game that season (up from about 15 his freshman year), it wasn't enough to overcome a deflating 2-9 season where the Bearcats lost by 20 points or more seven times. Taylor would rush for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries that year against tenth-ranked Miami. Unfortunately, the Bearcats lost 49-25, and Taylor said his performance provided him "no satisfaction" after the game. His success that season resulted in more than a thousand rushing yards, UC's Brig Owens Award for outstanding back, and his first Team MVP crown. He also gained an AP All-American Honorable Mention nod. Taylor was starting to turn heads.
By 1985, the diminutive but powerful Taylor had earned his spot as one of the team's key players. However, there was reason to worry if you were in his shoes. Al McKinney, an incoming freshman running back from Elyria, Ohio, was almost the polar opposite of Taylor coming out of high school. McKinney was about five inches taller, ran for double the yards in his senior season, and was recruited by more than a hundred schools, including Ohio State and Michigan. Coach Currey shut down any rumors of McKinney immediately taking the starting role but hinted at getting him involved early. "McKinney might be able to complement the running back spot rather than provide unnecessary competition," Currey said in an interview with the Enquirer before the season.
Taylor was used to this by now. Dating back to his first two years in Clifton and even his high school days, he had to hear rumors about a potential backfield committee. Currey stated that "there is definitely room for a newcomer in our running game" before the 1984 season. Reggie put those rumors to rest with more than 250 yards across the first two games of the season, following it up with a game-winning touchdown against Youngstown State the following week to lead the Bearcats to a 3-0 record. When Currey asked if Taylor thought he could get into the endzone on that play, Reggie responded, "I'll try my darndest to get it in." While the Bearcats would finish 5-6 that year, it was a welcome improvement from the season before, with Taylor continuing his individual success. He earned a second AP All-American Honorable Mention recognition, running for more than 1,100 yards and receiving his second Brig Owens and Team MVP awards.
Heading into 1986, Taylor was poised to top the record books. He was 82 yards away from Harvin's career rushing record. He officially put himself at the peak of the rushing mountain at Cincinnati with a 126-yard performance against Virginia Tech to open the season. The next game on the schedule gave him a shot to notch a win against Miami (OH). Cincinnati was 0-3 against their rivals in Taylor's first three years as a Bearcat, making this last shot at victory. In an unforgettable classic that ended up being his single-game magnum opus, Taylor led the way in a 45-38 win at Riverfront Stadium. He ran for 259 yards (his most in a game and the fifth-best in school history) and two touchdowns. Taylor continued to put up big numbers throughout the season, including 130 rush yards against #1 ranked Miami (FL) and 153 yards against #9 Auburn. In his final game at Nippert Stadium against Indiana State, he rushed for 148 yards, making him the first Bearcat with three straight thousand-yard rushing seasons. He finished the year with 1,325 rushing yards and 1,643 all-purpose yards, both records at the time. He was named an AP All-American Honorable Mention again, making him the first and only three-time All-American in school history, while once again bringing home the Brig Owens and Team MVP awards.
Taylor finished with 878 career rushing attempts and 4,242 rushing yards, both of which are still UC records by a wide margin. He is the only three-time Team MVP in program history and is the only player to lead the team in rushing in four consecutive seasons. He had 21 100-yard rushing games, the most ever by a Bearcat.
After UC, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted him in the 11th round of the 1987 NFL Draft. He enjoyed a successful CFL career, winning the Eddie James Memorial Trophy in 1989 for best running back in the West Division after rushing for more than 1,500 yards. He was inducted into the UC Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997 and was part of the inaugural Ring of Honor class in 2006.
Reggie was described as 5'7" "with one-inch heels" and 170 pounds "soaking wet" coming out of high school. Because of this, Hawaii and Cincinnati were the only two programs that offered him a scholarship. Taylor had built a relationship with Cincinnati assistant coach Cary Godette, who recruited Reggie while on Wyoming's staff. Reggie decided to follow Cary into college and signed his letter of intent in February 1983, committing to the Bearcats.
Reggie listed the possibility of playing time as a freshman as one of his reasons for arriving in Clifton. That was not the only reason, however. Cincinnati gave him an option to escape an area that was becoming increasingly violent. In an interview during his time in Cincinnati, Reggie said, "It seems like every time I go home to visit, I hear somebody else has died." He wanted to get away, and UC offered an escape more than 3,000 miles away.
Taylor arrived on campus to a running back room without a leader. James Bettis and Allen Harvin, the two running backs who had led the team in rushing the previous five seasons, had both graduated. Harvin and Bettis were #1 and #2 on the career rushing leaderboard at Cincinnati leading up to the 1983 season, giving Reggie enormous shoes to fill in the backfield.
He spent the first two games of his freshman season, including Cincinnati's historic upset over reigning champion Penn State, on the bench, getting his first carry against Louisville. He fumbled. He finished the game with 70 yards, but Reggie was not satisfied. In an interview the week after the game, he admitted he "made some mistakes on a few things," stating that he wanted to "make sure the bad doesn't happen again." The next contest was against Cornell, and Baby Herschel had the first of many explosive stat lines of his career, running for 181 yards on 20 carries, including 131 in the first quarter alone. After that performance, he took over the starting role and led the team with 784 yards rushing as a freshman.
Heading into the 1984 campaign, UC prepared a "Taylor-Made Offense," according to headlines during preseason camp. Head coach Dave Currey and his staff wanted to get Reggie more involved, especially in the passing game. And while he did receive about 21 touches per game that season (up from about 15 his freshman year), it wasn't enough to overcome a deflating 2-9 season where the Bearcats lost by 20 points or more seven times. Taylor would rush for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries that year against tenth-ranked Miami. Unfortunately, the Bearcats lost 49-25, and Taylor said his performance provided him "no satisfaction" after the game. His success that season resulted in more than a thousand rushing yards, UC's Brig Owens Award for outstanding back, and his first Team MVP crown. He also gained an AP All-American Honorable Mention nod. Taylor was starting to turn heads.
By 1985, the diminutive but powerful Taylor had earned his spot as one of the team's key players. However, there was reason to worry if you were in his shoes. Al McKinney, an incoming freshman running back from Elyria, Ohio, was almost the polar opposite of Taylor coming out of high school. McKinney was about five inches taller, ran for double the yards in his senior season, and was recruited by more than a hundred schools, including Ohio State and Michigan. Coach Currey shut down any rumors of McKinney immediately taking the starting role but hinted at getting him involved early. "McKinney might be able to complement the running back spot rather than provide unnecessary competition," Currey said in an interview with the Enquirer before the season.
Taylor was used to this by now. Dating back to his first two years in Clifton and even his high school days, he had to hear rumors about a potential backfield committee. Currey stated that "there is definitely room for a newcomer in our running game" before the 1984 season. Reggie put those rumors to rest with more than 250 yards across the first two games of the season, following it up with a game-winning touchdown against Youngstown State the following week to lead the Bearcats to a 3-0 record. When Currey asked if Taylor thought he could get into the endzone on that play, Reggie responded, "I'll try my darndest to get it in." While the Bearcats would finish 5-6 that year, it was a welcome improvement from the season before, with Taylor continuing his individual success. He earned a second AP All-American Honorable Mention recognition, running for more than 1,100 yards and receiving his second Brig Owens and Team MVP awards.
Heading into 1986, Taylor was poised to top the record books. He was 82 yards away from Harvin's career rushing record. He officially put himself at the peak of the rushing mountain at Cincinnati with a 126-yard performance against Virginia Tech to open the season. The next game on the schedule gave him a shot to notch a win against Miami (OH). Cincinnati was 0-3 against their rivals in Taylor's first three years as a Bearcat, making this last shot at victory. In an unforgettable classic that ended up being his single-game magnum opus, Taylor led the way in a 45-38 win at Riverfront Stadium. He ran for 259 yards (his most in a game and the fifth-best in school history) and two touchdowns. Taylor continued to put up big numbers throughout the season, including 130 rush yards against #1 ranked Miami (FL) and 153 yards against #9 Auburn. In his final game at Nippert Stadium against Indiana State, he rushed for 148 yards, making him the first Bearcat with three straight thousand-yard rushing seasons. He finished the year with 1,325 rushing yards and 1,643 all-purpose yards, both records at the time. He was named an AP All-American Honorable Mention again, making him the first and only three-time All-American in school history, while once again bringing home the Brig Owens and Team MVP awards.
Taylor finished with 878 career rushing attempts and 4,242 rushing yards, both of which are still UC records by a wide margin. He is the only three-time Team MVP in program history and is the only player to lead the team in rushing in four consecutive seasons. He had 21 100-yard rushing games, the most ever by a Bearcat.
After UC, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted him in the 11th round of the 1987 NFL Draft. He enjoyed a successful CFL career, winning the Eddie James Memorial Trophy in 1989 for best running back in the West Division after rushing for more than 1,500 yards. He was inducted into the UC Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997 and was part of the inaugural Ring of Honor class in 2006.