Bruce Taylor (American football)

Bruce Lawrence Taylor (born May 28, 1948) is an American former professional football player who was spent his entire eight-year career as a cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1970 to 1977. He played college football for the Boston University Terriers and was selected by the 49ers in the first round of the 1970 NFL Draft. With San Francisco, Taylor played in the NFC Championship Game in 1971 and 1972. He was also named to the Pro Bowl in 1972. During his football career, Taylor received several rookie of the year awards including ones from Pro Football Weekly and the Associated Press.

In 1978, Taylor was cut from the 49ers and briefly played for the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League (CFL). With the Alouettes, Taylor played in the Eastern Football Conference and Grey Cup championships held in 1978. Following his cut from the Oakland Raiders in 1979, Taylor worked in finance before becoming a Burger King owner in 1982. After expanding his Burger King locations to 18 stores by the late 1990s, Taylor returned to sports as a volunteer coach for a Florida high school in 2009. Taylor was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.