In New Mexico Highlands football history, there have been 11 players who have gone on to the AFL/NFL, but none of them had the impact on the community and in two pro football leagues that Lionel Taylor had.

Lionel Taylor was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on August 15, 1935. He would later play high school football in West Virginia before attending New Mexico Highlands to become a standout receiver for the Cowboys.

Former New Mexico Highlands School of Education dean Dr. Jim Abreau told me that his father was teammates with Taylor.

"Don Gibson, the head coach at the time, was recruiting players out of West Virginia. When they came to Las Vegas, they made it their home; some of them even married local girls. Including Lionel," said Abreau

"It all started with Lionel coming from a small school to play in the pros; he gave hope and opportunity to other players that would soon follow," President of the New Mexico Highlands H-Club Dave Luna said.

Taylor was a Cowboy from 1955 to 1958. It would not be his on-field actions at NMHU or in the NFL/AFL that would leave a lasting impact.

"Very active in the community and just a normal guy who would always say hi to me," Dr. Abreau said. "He had a forever-lasting connection with the town of Las Vegas."

However, Taylor was a football player.

"He would just bulldoze and run over people," Luna stated.

"Lionel would make one-handed catches here at Perkins Stadium before players started to make it a regular thing," Abreau commented.

After college, Taylor ended up with the Chicago Bears, where he played linebacker. It wasn't until he ended up in the Mile High City, just 327 miles from where he played college football, that he would switch back to wide receiver. In his professional career, Taylor had 567 catches for 7,195 yards and 45 touchdowns after switching back to wide receiver with the Denver Broncos.

Lionel Taylor was inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame in 1984 and the New Mexico Highlands H Club Hall of Fame in 2001. Taylor passed away on August 6, 2025, at the age of 89.