C.J. Taylor

Celestian Jopseh Taylor
(C.J., Pete)

• School University of Southern Mississippi
• High School St. Stanislaus High School
• Born August 18, 1918 in New Orleans, LA USA
• Died May 15, 2011 in Hattiesburg, MS USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Pete Taylor, was born on August 18, 1918 in New Orleans, LA. He attended St. Stanislaus High School, where he played with future Heisman Trophy winner Doc Blanchard, and later attended the University of Southern Mississippi. At Southern Miss, he played football, baseball, and basketball, was a member of the undefeated 1941 football team, and returned after military service in World War II to complete his studies. He graduated in March 1947 with a degree in history.

In 1947, Taylor played professional baseball with the Thibodaux Giants of the Evangeline League. That same year, he joined the staff at Holy Cross School in New Orleans as an assistant coach. He later coached at St. Louis University High School in St. Louis, where his teams won three city championships, before returning to the University of Southern Mississippi in 1955. At Southern Miss, he served as an assistant football coach, track coach, assistant athletic director, and head baseball coach from 1959 through 1983. The university's baseball facility was named Pete Taylor Park in his honor in 1985, and he was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.

Taylor died at his home in Hattiesburg, MS on May 15, 2011.