Larry Taylor

Larry Taylor (born May 30, 1985) is an American gridiron football wide receiver and kick returner who is currently a free agent. He originally signed with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League as a free agent in 2008. He played college football for the Connecticut Huskies, where he returned punts for touchdowns in each of the Huskies' first two bowl games—the 2004 Motor City Bowl and the 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl. Early life Larry Taylor grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Raised by his grandmother since he was 2, Taylor was taken under wing by David Lucca and Ross Teider, fathers of football teammates, who helped him to escape from the streets and eventually transfer to Glades Day School for his junior year of high school. At Glades Day, Taylor played running back and rushed for 1,774 yards and 28 touchdowns. He averaged 11 yards per running attempt, and 42.3 yards per kickoff return. In his senior season, Taylor was the Palm Beach County offensive player of the year, Class A (small school) player of the year, and a finalist for the Mr. Football award in Florida. Taylor's speed—measured at 4.3 seconds on the 40-yard dash—made him an attractive target for Division I football programs; his diminutive size— and —caused that interest to abate. Schools such as Tennessee and Mississippi State evaluated Taylor but eventually declined to offer a scholarship. In the end Connecticut, Eastern Michigan, and Middle Tennessee State made scholarship offers. After making his only official visit to Connecticut, Taylor opted to sign with the Huskies. College career In 2003, UConn ranked 116th-best in punt returns, out of only 117 teams in Division I-A. Taylor played in the first game of the 2004 season, against Murray State, where he returned five punts for 74 total yards, averaging 14.8 yards per punt return. The longest return went 58 yards. Taylor would continue to return punts and a limited number of kickoffs through the game against Temple, where he returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown but sprained his ankle, forcing him to miss the next two games. In UConn's final regular season game against Rutgers, Taylor returned a kickoff 43 yards; this return set up the touchdown that gave the Huskies the lead for good in the game.