Larry Taylor ( gridiron football ) Larry Taylor ( born May 30 , 1985 in Fort Lauderdale , Florida ) is a gridiron football wide receiver and kick returner for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League . He originally signed with the Montreal Alouettes as a free agent in 2008 . He played college football for the Connecticut Huskies ( UConn ) , where he returned punt s for touchdown s in each of the Huskies ' first two bowl games — the 2004 Motor City Bowl and the 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl . Early life . Larry Taylor grew up in Fort Lauderdale , Florida . Raised by his grandmother since he was 2 , Taylor was taken under wing by David Lucca and Ross Teider , fathers of football teammates , who helped him to escape from the streets and eventually transfer to Glades Day School for his junior year of high school . At Glades Day , Taylor played running back and rushed for 1 , 774 yards and 28 touchdown s . He averaged 11 yards per running attempt , and 42 . 3 yards per kickoff return . In his senior season , Taylor was the Palm Beach County offensive player of the year , Class A ( small school ) player of the year , and a finalist for the Mr . Football award in Florida . Taylor ' s speed — measured at 4 . 3 seconds on the 40 - yard dash — made him an attractive target for Division I football programs ; his diminutive size — and — caused that interest to abate . College career . In 2003 , UConn ranked 116th - best in punt returns , out of only 117 teams in Division I - A . Taylor played in the first game of the 2004 season , against Murray State , where he returned five punts for 74 total yards , averaging 14 . 8 yards per punt return . The longest return went 58 yards . Taylor would continue to return punts and a limited number of kickoffs through the game against Temple , where he returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown but sprained his ankle , forcing him to miss the next two games . In UConn ' s final regular season game against Rutgers , Taylor returned a kickoff 43 yards ; this return set up the touchdown that gave the Huskies the lead for good in the game . On the regular season , Taylor averaged 12 . 3 yards per punt return , third - best in the Big East Conference , and 28 . 7 yards per kickoff return , which would have led the Big East except that Taylor was two returns short of qualifying for the statistical lead . UConn improved from next - to - last in Division I - A in punt returns to 27th overall thanks to Taylor ' s performance . In the 2004 Motor City Bowl , the first bowl game in Connecticut history , Taylor returned a first - quarter punt 63 yards for a touchdown and averaged 44 . 5 yards on two kickoff returns . Taylor was involved in a controversial play during his senior season , in a regular season game against the Louisville Cardinals . With thirteen minutes remaining in the third quarter and UConn trailing Louisville 7 – 0 , Taylor received a 45 - yard punt on the Connecticut 26 - yard line . He briefly put up his right hand before catching the ball . The Louisville players slowed down and stopped , believing Taylor had made a fair catch and the play was over . Taylor took off , however , and ran all the way down the left sideline 74 yards for the touchdown . Despite the Cardinals ' protests , the officials ruled that whether Taylor had signaled for a fair catch or not was not reviewable . The touchdown helped the Huskies win the game 21 – 17 . Interviewed after the game regarding the play , Taylor was quoted as saying : After the game , Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese publicly apologized to Louisville for the call , calling it a " terrible mistake " . The official responsible for making the call was punished . In the offseason , the Big East worked to improve its officiating processes to prevent a call like this from happening again . Taylor ' s final game with the Huskies was the 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl . In the first quarter , he returned a punt for Connecticut ' s only touchdown of the game . He finished with 75 yards on three punt returns , for an average of 25 yards per return ; he also returned one kickoff for 20 yards , and caught two passes for eight yards . Professional career . Canadian Football League . Montreal Alouettes . Taylor signed with the Montreal Alouettes for the 2008 CFL season . He played with them for two years , winning the Grey Cup with the Alouettes in his second season with the team . In 2009 he was named the CFL ' s outstanding special teams player and an East Division All - Star , returning 89 punts for 788 total yards and two touchdowns , and 51 kickoffs for 1 , 059 total yards . He returned to the team at the end of the 2010 season . National Football League . New York Jets . Taylor signed with the New York Jets in the 2010 offseason . He was the shortest player in training camp when offseason workouts began . His performance in training camp caused him to become a subplot in HBO ' s " Hard Knocks " documentary series about the Jets . In the 2010 preseason , Taylor returned seven kickoffs for 175 yards and six punts for 58 yards and caught four passes . Despite this , he was cut from the team Friday , September 3 just before the last preseason game . When he cleared waivers , however , the Jets resigned him to their practice squad . Taylor was released from the team ' s practice squad on October 6 , 2010 following the addition of Patrick Turner . Return to the Canadian Football League . Calgary Stampeders . On February 14th , 2011 Taylor signed with the Calgary Stampeders for the 2011 CFL season . Personal . Taylor is the father of three boys .