This was before Taylor was made the NFL’s deity in Green Bay. This was long before Taylor scored the Super Bowl’s first running touchdown. It was also long before Vince Lombardi’s Packers became the first to be inducted into The Pro Football Hall of Fame. This was before Taylor, a fullback shared the LSU backfield alongside Billy Cannon. This was actually before Jim Taylor was called Jim Taylor. This was the time that “Jimmy”, as he was known in the newspapers, played football for the Raymond-based Hinds Junior College Eagles. This was 1955. Taylor was a Baton Rouge high school star and had signed with LSU. Taylor had been a freshman at LSU football, but the first semester ended. Taylor’s grades were released. Taylor had not passed any class. Gen. Troy Middleton (the LSU president) summoned Taylor into his office and showed him his grades. Taylor replied that he would kick his self out of school. This is exactly what happened. Paul Dietzel, LSU’s football coach, had a plan. It involved Hinds Community College. Taylor was not going to be allowed to go. Major League Baseball has Class AAA. LSU used to have Hinds back then. Durwood Graham, another Hinds Eagle, and LSU Tiger, recalls. Graham recalls that “back then,” LSU called Hinds its “farm club”. Indeed, Taylor arrived at Hinds in the same year as Earl Leggett, and Graham were part of a group heading to LSU from Hinds. They all became teammates at LSU after Taylor’s 1955 season at Hinds. He also received his grades back. Graham became a Hinds football coach and is still one of the school’s most loyal supporters at 86. When asked what he remembers most about Taylor, Graham replies, “Most importantly, I remember him being tough as hell.” Graham also adds that Taylor was poor like many of us. “We didn’t have anything but football.” They made the best of it. Hinds was a junior college leader. Graham, a linebacker and center, and Leggett (a tackle), were part of the 1954 Hinds team which won the Junior Rose Bowl in Pasadena before 62,000 people. The next season, Taylor’s team, had a “downer” season. They lost one time. It was LSU that lost in 1956. Taylor was playing in the same backfield with Billy Cannon. Taylor, and not Cannon, was the SEC’s leading scorer in 1956 and 1957. He also made the first All-American team in 1957. Dietzel said of Taylor, “With his ball under him, he was a great football player.” Durwood Graham says, “I’m going to tell you this, Jim Taylor attacked a tackler before he attacked him.” Taylor wasn’t very big by today’s standards. He was 6 feet tall and weighed 215 lbs. Rarely, if ever has 215 pounds had such power. Graham states that Jimmy would rather run over than around you. Taylor was so infamous for running over people in the NFL that he was often compared with Jim Brown. Lombardi was his coach. Lombardi stated that Jim Brown would give him the leg and then take it from you. “Jim Taylor would give that leg to you and then drive it through your chest,” Lombardi said._x000D