Nathaniel Carrington "Birdman" Taylor, a Morgan State coach and educator, died of cancer Tuesday at his Northwest Baltimore home. He was 78.
Mr. Taylor was born and raised in Oklahoma City, the son of a hospital maintenance worker. A gifted athlete in his youth, he earned his bachelor's degree in education in 1949 from Tennessee State University, where he played basketball and was the football team's quarterback. In 1956, he earned a master's degree in health and physical education from Columbia University.
While at Tennessee State, Mr. Taylor was nicknamed "The Terrific, Tantalizing Technician" by a sports reporter for his athletic prowess.
"He played in a home game, and the team was wearing white uniforms. It was raining, and the field was muddy," said his son, Julian Ford Taylor of Reisterstown. "He played so well, and they won the game, but the amazing thing was when they walked off the field, his uniform was still white and clean. They were still telling this story years later when I attended Tennessee State."
Mr. Taylor earned All-American honors in football and basketball while at Tennessee.
In 1949, he began his career teaching health and physical education at what is now the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and began coaching under Vernon "Skip" McCain. He left the college from 1950 to 1952 to serve with an Army combat construction unit, then returned.
One year while coaching the basketball team at the college, Mr. Taylor's team compiled a 25-0 record.
One of Mr. Taylor's undergraduates there was Earl S. Richardson, now president of Morgan State University.
"I was the world's worst athlete, and he was trying to get me to tumble. I couldn't do it, and Bird kept saying, `Tuck in your head. Tuck in your head.' Eventually he got me to tuck in my head," Dr. Richardson said, laughing.
"He called everyone `son' or `bird,' and they in turn called him `Birdman,'" Dr. Richardson said. "He was a very fine fellow, and he was the same now as he was when I was in college. He was both a father and friend to his students."
He added: "He was always most respectful and supportive of me.
"When I came to Morgan in 1984," Dr. Richardson said, "he was one of the first to congratulate me. He said, `I never thought you would end up in such a position,' and I said, `You better be careful how you treat your students because you never know when they could become your boss.'"
