Owen Taylor
Baltimore Hawks | |
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Position: | Running Back |
Personal information | |
Born: | Omaha, Nebraska | January 18, 1997 (aged 68)
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
Weight: | 225 lb (102 kg) |
Career information | |
College: | Nebraska |
ISFL Draft: | 2017 / Round: 3 / Pick: 18 |
Career history | |
Roster status: | Retired |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Owen Taylor (born TBD) was an American football running back for the Baltimore Hawks of the National Simulation Football League (NSFL). He played college football for Nebraska (UN) before being drafted by the Balitmore Hawks in the 2017 ISFL Draft (S2).
Contents
College career
Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska - the largest city in a small state - Owen Taylor stayed close to home as he went off to college. Attending the University of Nebraska, Taylor’s frame meant that he fit nicely into both the positions he’d play during the course of his football career. Indeed, like Darren Smallwood, Owen Taylor actually used to play at a different position than the one he’s now a legend for. Initially a defensive end, Taylor played at that spot for all of his college football career, and when National Simulation Football League draft scouts came calling, it was defensive end Owen Taylor who answered.
Professional career
Owen Taylor was drafted by the Baltimore Hawks in the third round of the 2017 NSFL draft. He played his first two seasons for Baltimore as a defensive end, but struggled to find success in a bigger league with bigger opponents. Despite his best efforts, his smaller size betrayed him and Taylor was often physically outplayed on the field. Noticing Taylor was already faster than most linebackers on the team, his coach suggested a position switch to running back. The front office agreed with this approach and took a risk that would benefit both the Hawks and Taylor for years to come.
After swapping positions in 2019, Taylor exploded onto the scene and won four straight Running Back of the Year awards. From there, he continued to flourish and went on to win several other individual accolades, including two back-to-back Most Outstanding Player of the Year awards. Taylor attributed much of his success to his teammates, including fellow Hall-of-Famer Avon Blocksdale, as they kept him grounded and taught him how to play on the offensive side of the ball. The chemistry between Taylor and his teammates became clear when they fought their way to winning the Ultimus in 2025.
Taylor remained with the Hawks for the entire duration of his NSFL career, which lasted a total of 11 seasons.
Professional career statistics
Career Statistics | Defense | |||||||
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Season | Team | GP | Tackles | Tackles for Loss | Forced Fumbles | Sacks | ||
2017 (S2) | BAL | 14 | 49 | 12 | 1/1 | 13 | ||
2018 (S3) | BAL | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | 0 | ||
Total | 28 | 49 | 12 | 1/2 | 13 |
Career Statistics | Rushing | Receiving | Kick Returns | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | GP | Att | Yds | Avg | Yds/G | Long | TD | Rec | Yds | Long | TD | Yds | Avg | KR TD |
2019 (S4) | BAL | 14 | 349 | 1200 | 3.4 | 85.7 | 51 | 12 | 42 | 332 | 34 | 1 | 216 | 21.6 | 0 |
2020 (S5) | BAL | 14 | 268 | 992 | 3.7 | 70.9 | 18 | 4 | 58 | 428 | 38 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2021 (S6) | BAL | 14 | 337 | 1402 | 4.2 | 100.1 | 20 | 5 | 67 | 485 | 28 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2022 (S7) | BAL | 14 | 304 | 1306 | 4.3 | 93.3 | 18 | 8 | 61 | 442 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2023 (S8) | BAL | 14 | 313 | 1263 | 4 | 90.2 | 15 | 15 | 46 | 270 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2024 (S9) | BAL | 14 | 329 | 1385 | 4.2 | 98.9 | 22 | 23 | 47 | 395 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2025 (S10) | BAL | 14 | 378 | 1713 | 4.5 | 122.4 | 21 | 23 | 51 | 409 | 36 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2026 (S11) | BAL | 14 | 333 | 1511 | 4.5 | 107.9 | 18 | 17 | 61 | 363 | 30 | 5 | 827 | 23.6 | 0 |
2027 (S12) | BAL | 14 | 188 | 791 | 4.2 | 56.5 | 14 | 16 | 32 | 153 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2028 (S13) | BAL | 6 | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 3.2 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 132 | 2802 | 11582 | 43.3 | 829.1 | 206 | 123 | 468 | 3278 | 257 | 23 | 1043 | 45.2 | 0 |
Achievements and records
Awards
- Team
NSFL Champion: 2025
- Individual
- NSFL Breakout Player of the Year: 2019
- NSFL Most Outstanding Player of the Year: 2025, 2026
- NSFL Offensive Player of the Year: 2025, 2026
- NSFL Running Back of the Year: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2025, 2026