From Lincoln High to Lincoln, Neb. : Taylor Passes Time With Baseball Until He Becomes a Cornhusker

Lincoln High School’s Steve Taylor likes to pass the time during the spring and early summer playing baseball.

“When the weather is nice, why just sit around doing nothing?” he says. “It keeps me in shape, I like the competition and it’s fun.”

Taylor, a left-handed hitting center fielder, has been having a lot of fun. The senior is hitting .372 with 2 home runs and 14 RBIs. He leads the Hornets in stolen bases with 13 and has been thrown out just twice.

“I wish I had about six more like him,” said Hornet Coach Shan Deniston. “Steve is really a raw product, he hasn’t reached his maximum. There are so many things he can do well--he can hit, run and he has a great arm.”

Taylor, also a relief pitcher and part-time shortstop for Lincoln, has gained plenty of notice for his strong arm . . . on the football field. One of the county’s top quarterbacks the past two years, Taylor will be attending the University of Nebraska on a football scholarship this fall.

As a junior, Taylor led the Lincoln football team to the Central League championship, completing 75 of 101 passes for 1,459 and 9 touchdowns. He also rushed for 579 yards on 45 carries, scoring 7 touchdowns.

Taylor, a 6-foot 2-inch, 187-pounder, was even more impressive last season. He completed 101 of 170 passes for 1,752 yards, 11 touchdowns and was intercepted only 7 times. He carried the ball 62 times, picked up 693 yards and scored 10 touchdowns.

Lincoln football coach Ray Hooper thinks Taylor is something special.

“Steve is just a very good leader,” Hooper said. “He’s a very intelligent kid, quiet, well-spoken. Without a question, he’s the best football player in the county and the best that this part of the county (Southeast San Diego) has seen since Marcus Allen.”

But the multi-talented Taylor has a pleasant problem. Some pro baseball scouts would like him to pass up the football scholarship for a career in the major leagues.

“If the money was right in baseball, I might consider it,” Taylor said. “No one has sat down with me yet and said, ‘We’re gonna give you this.’ I’d rather have the education than risk playing pro baseball.”

Said Hooper: “Steve can still play baseball at Nebraska (which he intends to do). He could be a pro baseball player. But it wouldn’t be worth taking $100,000 or $200,000 (as a signing bonus) to pass up a college education.”

Washington, Minnesota, California and Colorado were some of the schools that thought Taylor was good enough to play football for them. And with good grades to go along with his athletic ability (Taylor was a recipient of a scholar-athlete award by the National Football Foundation), he could have attended almost any school he wanted.

But Hooper and Taylor were impressed by Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne and his staff, as well as Nebraska’s programs in broadcasting and speech communications, in which Taylor will major.

Also, Nebraska assured Taylor he would get the chance to play the same position he did at Lincoln.

“They told me they recruited me as a quarterback,” said Taylor, who was born in Fresno and attended Edison High before moving to San Diego two years ago. “If they wanted me as a defensive back. they could get somebody else. They never thought of switching me.

“I’ve always been a quarterback. That’s the only position I can play.”

Still, some colleges hesitate to use a black quarterback, unless it’s a part of a wishbone or veer offense. A conversation Taylor had with Turner Gill, a black who is a former starting Cornhusker passer, convinced Taylor further that he wouldn’t be converted to defensive back, wide receiver or running back.

“He told me they would play a black quarterback,” Taylor said. “Some schools don’t lean to it.”

Nebraska’s offense is run from the I-formation, so it behooves the quarterback to be able to run and pass well. Taylor’s high school statistics show he can do the job.

“It’s his kind of offense,” said Hooper. “We copy a lot of their stuff. He’s a great passer, but he likes to run with the ball, too.”

When Taylor reports to the Corhuskers, he will do his throwing for the freshman team. But the opportunity to advance is there.

“The quarterback situation isn’t that great,” Taylor said. “I think I can compete for the starting job as a sophomore. I think I’ll do pretty well.”

Hooper was more emphatic.

“He will start as a sophomore,” Hooper said. “He might even play a little but this year.”

Taylor was never a candidate to stay at home and play at San Diego State. It seems the Aztecs figured Taylor would be better off at cornerback or safety.

“Coach Billick (receivers coach Brian Billick) said he thought I was a great defensive back,” said Taylor. “He called me once and asked if I wanted a visit (to the campus). I told him no.”

When it comes to Taylor, SDSU isn’t high on Hooper’s list, either.

“They said he couldn’t play quarterback,” said Hooper. “He’s better than anybody they got.”

Right now, the Hornets are trying to prove they’re better than the rest of the teams in the Central Division. They played well in the pre-league schedule, posting an 8-3-1 record. Lincoln went to the semifinals of the Lions/Mike Morrow Tournament before losing to San Pasqual.