He was recognized as the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) after winning the rushing title in 1962, beating out Jim Brown.

An aggressive player and fluent trash talker, Taylor developed several personal rivalries throughout his career, most notably with New York Giants linebacker Sam Huff.

This confrontational attitude, combined with his tenacious running style, a penchant for contact, and ability to both withstand and deliver blows, earned him a reputation as one of the league's toughest players.

Playing college football for the LSU Tigers, Taylor led the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in scoring in 1956 and 1957 and earned first-team All-America honors as a senior.

He was selected by the Packers in the second round of the 1958 NFL draft and was used sparingly as a rookie, but with the arrival of coach Vince Lombardi in 1959 Taylor soon became the team's all-purpose back, especially when only a few yards were needed.

In this role, his spirited performance against the Giants in the 1962 NFL Championship Game came to define his mental and physical toughness.

Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on September 20, 1935,[1] James Charles Taylor had two paper routes to help his widowed mother make ends meet.

He delivered the morning and afternoon routes by bicycle for three dollars a week, which helped to develop his leg muscles.

[2] Though he did not play football until his junior year, he was a star athlete in four sports at Baton Rouge High School, and graduated in 1954.

Taylor played on LSU's freshman team in 1954, but due to struggles in the classroom, he transferred to Hinds Community College in Raymond, Mississippi, as a sophomore, where he met his future wife Dixie Grant.

"[7] After spending the first half of his junior season learning the offense, Taylor scored 51 points in the team's final five games of 1956.

[5] As a senior in 1957, he shared the backfield with future Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon, a combination that accounted for over 1,500 yards from scrimmage and 17 touchdowns that season.

Against Texas Tech, due to the Red Raiders' focus on containing Taylor, Cannon had one of the most productive games of his career.

[8] In his final college game, Taylor carried 17 times for 171 yards and two touchdowns in a 35–6 victory over in-state rival Tulane.

[7] Taylor was selected by the Packers in the second round of the 1958 NFL draft, the 15th overall pick,[12] taken in December 1957 while Lisle Blackbourn was still the head coach.

[13] That draft for the Packers included future stars Dan Currie (3rd), Ray Nitschke (36th), and Jerry Kramer (39th), but the 1958 team finished with the worst record in the league (and the franchise's worst ever, as of 2023), under first-year NFL head coach Ray "Scooter" McLean.

[15][16] With a one-year contract that was not to be renewed, McLean resigned days after the season and was replaced by Vince Lombardi in January 1959.

[21] In the 1960s, Lombardi implemented the "Packers sweep" play in which guards Jerry Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston rapidly pulled out from their normal positions and led blocking for Hornung and Taylor.

Taylor had 69 yards on 14 attempts while playing despite badly damaged ribs, as Hornung carried most of the load for Green Bay.

[27] He became the third player in NFL history to lead the league in both rushing yards and total points scored, following Steve Van Buren and Brown.

Taylor's performance in Green Bay's 16–7 win over the Giants in the 1962 NFL Championship Game came to define his mental and physical toughness.

[31][18] In frigid conditions at Yankee Stadium, Taylor carried 31 times for 85 yards and scored the Packers' only touchdown against what was considered the league's best defense, both statistically and by reputation.

[34] At one point in the first quarter, he bit his tongue while being tackled by Huff, causing him to swallow blood for the rest of the game.

"[26] Additionally, Taylor was playing while sick; two weeks later, he learned he had hepatitis,[33][36] which contributed to his 15-pound weight loss prior to the game.

[45] In January 1967, Taylor and the Packers played in the first AFL–NFL World Championship Game, known retroactively as Super Bowl I, in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Taylor recorded his lowest rushing statistics since his rookie season, but was still relatively productive as a receiver, catching 38 passes.

Prior to the 1968 season, he was relegated to special teams duties, and as a result he refused to play in that week's exhibition game.

[54][55] Former quarterback Bobby Layne listed him as one of "Pro Football's 11 Meanest Men" in an article for SPORT magazine in 1964.

[36] The Packers and Browns met three times in that span, all Green Bay victories, primarily due to Taylor's efforts.

[65] The Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee named Taylor to its NFL 1960s All-Decade Team, which comprised the best players of the 1960s at each position.