LOS ANGELES, United States, Aug 14, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Lionel Taylor, a wide receiver on the inaugural 1960 Denver Broncos team and a member of the NFL club's Ring of Fame, has died at the age of 89, the Broncos said on Wednesday.

In a tribute on its website, the club said Taylor's family had confirmed he died on August 6, but no cause of death was given.

Taylor played on the Broncos team that joined the newly formed American Football League in 1960 and was the first receiver in either the AFL or NFL to have at least 100 receptions in a season.

He finished his seven-year career in Denver as the club's all-time leader in receptions with 543, receiving yards with 6,872 and touchdown receptions with 44.

He led the AFL in receiving in five of the league's first six seasons and was inducted in the Broncos Ring of Fame in 1984.

He ended his playing career with the Houston Oilers before a groundbreaking coaching career. According to NFL Films, Taylor was the first Black coach to hold a coordinator position in the NFL.

He was the Los Angeles Rams' offensive coordinator in 1980-81, and Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy has cited Taylor as a key influence for Black coaches who followed him in the league.

"We all need role models in life, and fortunately, there was a Lionel Taylor there that I could look at and say, 'Yeah, this is possible,'" Dungy said in a 2024 NFL Films video.

"I came in the league with Herm Edwards and Ray Rhodes, and we all became head coaches. It would not have happened without Lionel Taylor."

Taylor earned two Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers as their receivers coach -- guiding two eventual Hall of Famers in Lynn Swann and John Stallworth.

Taylor was born on August 15, 1935. He played football and basketball at New Mexico Highlands University but after going unselected in the 1958 NFL draft played semi-pro football before joining the Bears in 1959 and making the switch to the Broncos in 1960.