In all, Taylor started at fullback on four of Vince Lombardi's five NFL championship teams and led the Packers in rushing seven times. "Taylor may not be as big as some fullbacks, but he has balance and determination," Lombardi said after Taylor was named the league's MVP. "He is hard to knock off his feet and he fights for every yard."

Taylor held the Packers' career rushing record for 43 years. His club single-season record of 1,474 yards lasted 41 years. His single-game record of 186 yards, set in a Western Conference-clinching victory over the Giants in 1961, survived 36 years.

Taylor also had one of the lowest fumble rates in NFL history. He fumbled a mere 34 times in 2,166 touches, or once every 63.7 times he touched the ball.

Taylor was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976, the first of Lombardi's Packers to be so honored.

"That son-of-a-gun is the toughest son-of-a-gun in the league," backfield mate Paul Hornung once said of Taylor. "I've seen him run over guys 30 or 40 pounds bigger than he is like that (snap of a finger). Jimmy Brown may be the best all-around athlete I've seen, but he doesn't have Taylor's desire."

Taylor was selected in the second round of the 1958 NFL draft. He spent the first 10 weeks of his rookie season languishing on the bench behind veteran Howie Ferguson and Hornung, who was in his second year. It wasn't until the final two games on the West Coast that Scooter McLean gave Taylor his chance. Until then, McLean claimed Taylor didn't know the system.

In retrospect, McLean was likely guilty of misjudging his own player during his one-and-only season as head coach. Taylor knew the system well enough to rush for 137 yards on 22 attempts against San Francisco and then 99 yards on 22 carries in the season finale against the Los Angeles Rams, although the Packers lost both games to finish 1-10-1.

Clearly, however, those two games made a favorable impression on Lombardi during his exhaustive film study prior to his first season as coach. Taylor was anointed the starting fullback and held the position until he played out his option in 1966. He signed with the New Orleans Saints on July 6, 1967, and played his NFL final season for the first-year expansion team. In exchange, the Packers received a first-round draft pick and a player to be named later, who turned out to be linebacker Phil Vandersea, as compensation.

In his nine years with the Packers, Taylor gained his 8,207 yards on 1,811 carries for a 4.5 average. He also scored 91 touchdowns, second at the time to Don Hutson's club record of 105. As durable as he was tough, Taylor also missed only five games. He missed three in 1959, when he suffered burns to his right foot and left hand in a kitchen accident following the second game, and then one apiece in 1964 and '65. In all, Taylor played in 115 games and started 103.