CLACK ren te
Virginia Union
decado>fbr the Panthers.
Union won three in a row, over
Winston-Salem, St. Paul's and Ken.
tuclrv h^frv* a Hicmol nffMinv*
performance at Norfolk's Foreman
Field doomed the Panthers to also-ran
status for this season.
Playing with a patchwork lineup, the
v result of injuries, Union mustered only
four first downs against Norfolk, two
of which came by penalty.
"We've just got to work harder,"
said Taylor. "We've got to go over and
over the things we're trying to do, and
hope we improve."
The offense didn't improve much
the next week, in an 18-14 Gold Bowl
4oss to arch-rival Virginia State in
Petersburg. Union was shut out
through three quarters in that contest
before mounting a fourth-period rally.
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it v iv uvi 5111115 up, viiuu^ii, aaiu
>- cornerback John Warren, a four-year
starter from Washington, D.C.
"We've got a lot of seniors; we're a
close team. And a lot of us have hopes
of playing pro ball. We don't want to
look bad."
Still, another Union senior, asking
to remain anonymous, said this:
"We're so used to winning and,
after we dropped a couple, it seemed
like some people lost their
enthusiasm."
A pleasant, well-spoken man, Taylor
remains popular around the VUU campus.
But, for a school that's become
accustomed to outstanding teams,
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woawi it J > IIHIW IV ItVWVp V IJ J II1C
Union alumni and fans.
Unfortunately for Taylor, Bailey
established standards that will be wellnigh
impossible for any man to
duplicate, whether his name be Bryant
or Gip or Lombardi or Taylor.
Bailey's record was an incredible
106-32-4 in 13 years. His teams won
five CIAA titles. One thing tb keep in
mind is that when Bailey left for Norfolk,
he took his top two assistants offensive
coordinator John Wright and
defensive coordinator Tom Morris with
him. The only assistants left were
part-timers. ?
When Bailey announced his intentions
of heading back home, Taylor
^?-became aquick ffontrunner 4or the
Mmr job. He^warpepratisr mofijf"
many of the Panther veterans, who
i a r u!?. - .? -1 ?
wciu iu oat i or nun wiin me scnooi aaministration.
In Taylor's two-year stint as a Union
aide, he helped develop the school's
first weight-lifting room and was
- responsible for adding some passing
spice to a mostly ground-oriented,
Wing-T attack.
Among the other candidates were
Mel Rose, head coach at Livingstone,
and Pernell Simms, the respected
defensive coordinator at ? Virginia
State.
Pag* -1984BBB531BEBHB
t M3CCTJ MVIE
From Page 8
When Taylor got the job, he indicated
he would make few changes on
a smooth-sailing ship. He vowed to
.stick with the Bailey's Wing-T, with
certain modifications.
Sad to say, the Wing-T has fizzled'
under Taylor, due at least in part to cir
w
cumstances beyond his control. First of
all/ the Panthers' top running back,Gary
Mayo, suffered a knee injury last
spring, and was lost for the season.
Also, quarterback John Johnson
H Jtsl ??? C /?- U!. tt? ?I
UU.1UU1 MUl?CD?1CIU1I1 TDI ITT5 I 111 illI
season of eligibilty. That left Taylor
H . 1
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\
with virtually no experience at the most
important positioii.
In the Norfolk game, Taylor shuffled
three quarterbacks, with little luck.
Mayo was the first of many key offensive
performers to go down with
Please See Page 17