Evening star., 1947-08-05
By Lewis F. Atchison
S,or Stoff CORRESPONDENT

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 5.-Of al
the football players in the Redskir
training camp the one who leas'
looks the part is a tall, stringy Ar.
kansas traveller by the name o1
Hugh Taylor. He towers 6 feet 4
has hands like market baskets anC
storklike stems that seem in dan
ger of splintering at every step
Taylor definitely doesn't seem tc
fit the role he's been selected tc
play here, but Of all so players who
had their first workout yesterday
he was the one who made the deep
est impression on Coach Turk Ed
wards.
It seems that in the first passing
drill Sammy Baugh threw q hard
high one In Taylor's general direc-
ton. The average end would have
missed it completely, but the walk
ing Skyscraper reached out and
took a slap at 1t like Ossie Bluege
knocking down hot liner at third.
II thought he'd knock it the
length of the field" Edwards said
later, "but he grabbed it with that
one hand and the ball stuck like
f1ypaper. would have bet a dime
against a hundred bucks he'd not
get that one, so watched a little
more closely after that. Anybody
will make lucky catch now and
then, but doggone if he don't grab
EN- with one hand as easily as most
of them do with two. He looked
pretty good to me, but Of course
the big test comes in Scrimmage
when he's got two or three backs
clinging on him. If he holds 1t
then I'll say he'll be one of our
offensive ends"
Overlooked in Grid Draft.
Taylor is quiet, bashful, married
and the proud papa of a 20-day -old
daughter. She'll be 81 days old to-
morrow" he said. Her arrival cost
him Is pounds off a sparse frame
that hardly could afford it. II
didn't eat regularly while my wife
was in the hospital" he said, "and
after we brought the baby home
was getting up for that o'clock
bottle and that sure does tear a-,nan
down."
He was picked on the United
Press first All-America eleven last
year, but for one reason or another
was passed over in the draft by
both National League and ALL
America Conference teams. Ed
wards, persuing the football data
the Tribe collects each season, read
Taylor's biography in the Oklahoma
City U. booklet and became inter-
ested. 1t gave his height, said he
was some shucks as a basket ball
player and-this was important
had run the 100-yard dash in 10.1.
Turk sat right down and wrote the
gentleman letter, asking if he was
interested in a pro football career.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions and
Art Rooney's Pittsburgh Steelers
had gotten on Taylors spoor and
were making attractive offers.
1T was Sammy Baugh fan, "
Taylor said, "and I knew he Could
throw a football about as well as
anybody, bait I didn't know what
sort OF passers those other teams
would have. The Lions signed Clyde
La Force, who had a good reputation
at Tulsa last year, but I figured he
wasn't tested in pro football like
Baugh was, so I picked the Red
skins"
Never Has Seen Pro Football.
Taylor, Of course, never has seen
a pro football game. He hadn't even
laid eyes on genuine pro football
player until he joined the squad
at Kansas City and he's as uncer-
tain Of his future as a temporary
Government clerk. But the brief
sample has been exhilerating. He
likes 1t and If he doesn't make the
grade this year it won't be because
he didn't try.
Hugh wasn't 10.1 century speed
ster. He ran it in 80 and he thinks
he can &C the distance in about 10.5
today. He reminds you of Charley
Malone, only he's faster. He gains
5 yards with each stride, and if they
can break him in the open with a
pass he might go all the way.
Taylor was good enough baGket
ball player at Tulane, where he
studied in the Nays Viz program,
to make the all-Southeastern Con-
ference quint. He'd like to play pro
basket ball next winter, but is afraid
1t would keep him away from home
and mis- new family too long.
The tall boy also is good enough In
baseball to win a contract from the
iSt. Louis Cardinals as an. outflelder