NEW ORLEANS, La. – The family of Roosevelt “Rosey” Taylor confirmed on Friday that the All-Pro football player and all-pro man passed away at the age of 82.
The family says that Taylor was admitted into the hospital for pneumonia right before the COVID-19 outbreak.
He was being treated in the hospital for a month, before deciding to spend his remaining days at home with friends, family, and loved ones.
Taylor grew up in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward.
His football career would begin as a standout player for Joseph S. Clark Senior High School.
He attended Grambling University on a Basketball scholarship, making the transition to football his Junior year.
From the collegiate ranks, Taylor’s football career continued in Chicago where he was signed as a free agent by the Bears in 1961.
In nine seasons as a Chicago Bear, he played in a total of 118 games, recording 23 interceptions.
The stat line was good enough to earn him Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro honors the Bears’ championship season in 1963, and Second-Team All-Pro in 1964 & 1965.
Chicago sports writers have Rosey Taylor ranked as the 56th best player in Chicago Bears franchise history.
Taylor was traded to the 49ers in 1969, where he played for three seasons.
His 14-year NFL career came to a close with the Washington Redskins in 1972, starting at free safety in Washington’s 14-7 loss to the Dolphins in Super Bowl VII.
He has been inducted into the New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, the Grambling University Hall of Fame and he has been nominated to the NFL Hall of Fame.