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Former Commodore QB Whit Taylor To Receive “Living Legend” Honor at SEC Championship Game 12/3/2003
Former Commodore QB Whit Taylor To Receive “Living Legend” Honor at SEC Championship Game Whit Taylor, who quarterbacked Vanderbilt into its last bowl game in 1982, will be honored during this weekend’s Southeastern Conference Football Championship festivities in Atlanta. Taylor, now the football coach at Shelbyville (Tenn.) High School, will be presented during Friday night’s Living Legends Banquet at the Downtown Hyatt Regency Hotel in Atlanta along with representatives from each of the other SEC member institutions. The annual dinner, attended by SEC administrators, fans and honoree family members, is held on the eve of the SEC Championship between LSU and Georgia. The 12 Living Legends also will be introduced to the 80,000 fans at the Georgia Dome during the game Saturday. Taylor reaped many honors during his senior season with the Commodores. He owned nearly every Vanderbilt single-season and career passing mark by the time he earned consensus All-SEC status as a senior in 1982. His career marks for completions (555) and passing yards (6,307) stood in the Commodore record books for two decades until Greg Zolman topped both in 2001. Taylor and Zolman share the team record with 41 career touchdown passes. In 1982, utilizing an innovative passing attack, Taylor’s sensational performance guided Vanderbilt to a 8-3 overall season and berth in the Hall of Fame Bowl in Birmingham, Ala. Taylor led the Commodores to two key regular season victories that year – an exciting 31-29 win over nationally-ranked Florida and a season-ending 28-21 triumph over Tennessee in Nashville. Taylor’s one-yard carry late in the fourth quarter capped the win over Tennessee. Taylor achieved one of finest passing performance ever by a Commodore quarterback in his last game in a Vanderbilt uniform. He passed for four touchdowns and 452 yards in the Commodores’ 36-28 Hall of Fame Bowl loss to Air Force. Since 1994, each SEC member has nominated a football alumnus that either had been a first team All-SEC performer, an All-American or an academic All-American.
Former Vanderbilt standouts honored since recognition began in 1994: Year Player, Position, Years 1994 Bill Wade, Quarterback, 1949-1951 1995 Bob Asher, Offensive Tackle, 1967-69 1996 John Hall, Lineman, 1951-54 1997 Ernest “Bucky” Curtis, End, 1947-1950 1998 Charley Horton, Halfback, 1952-55 1999 Bob Werckle, Tackle, 1947, 1949-51 2000 Herb Rich, Halfback, 1946-49 2001 Will Wolford, Offensive Tackle, 1982-85 2002 Jim Arnold, Punter, 1979-82 2003 Whit Taylor, Quarterback, 1979-1982 |
