Print

Mail

wiki links

US Olympic gold medalist sprinter Robert Taylor dies

Robert Taylor, a US sprinter who won gold and silver medals in the 1972 Munich Olympics, has died. He was 59.

Taylor became ill on Monday at the Missouri City school where he taught and was taken to a hospital, where he died on Tuesday night, wife Cheryl said. She said he had had heart problems.

Taylor was a member of the 400m relay team that won the gold medal in Munich. He finished second in the 100m after barely making it to a preliminary race because of a scheduling mixup that saw two of his teammates miss qualifying heats.

"Robert had one of the greatest personalities," friend Terry Henson told the Tyler Morning Telegraph. "His ability as an athlete was unmatched. He never really got his just due on how great an athlete he really was."

Taylor's son, Bobby, played for NFL teams the Philadelphia Eagles and the Seattle Seahawks.

Taylor was inducted into the Prairie View Interscholastic League Coaches Association Hall of Fame in Fort Worth in July. The league served as the governing body of extracurricular activities for black students during segregation. He was also inducted into the Texas Southern Hall of Fame.

"We called him the chief of the family," said sister Gwen Taylor.

In addition to his wife, son Bobby, he is survived by son Jonathan and daughter Cecilee.
This story has been viewed 698 times.