Robert Taylor, 59; sprinter won two medals at 1972 Olympics

Robert Taylor, a sprinter who won gold and silver medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, died Tuesday. He was 59.

Taylor became ill Monday at the Missouri City, Texas, school where he taught and was taken to a hospital, where he died, his wife, Cheryl, said. She said he had had heart problems.

Taylor was a member of the 400-meter relay team that won the gold in Munich. He finished second in the 100 after barely making it to a qualifying heat because of a scheduling mix-up that saw two of his teammates miss their heats.

Rey Robinson and Eddie Hart, Taylor’s teammates in the 100, had been timed at 9.9 seconds in the U.S. Olympic trials and returned to the athletes’ village after the first round of qualifying at Munich. But Stan Wright, the U.S. sprint coach, apparently misread the event schedule and did not get the sprinters back to the stadium in time for the next round.

While waiting for a bus to take them back to the venue, Taylor, Robinson and Hart caught a glimpse of a TV monitor showing the track and field competition. They realized their heats were underway and jumped into a private car.

It was too late for Robinson and Hart, but Taylor had just enough time to pull off his sweat pants, lace up his spikes and do a few stretches before lining up in the blocks for his heat. He qualified for the final, where he finished second to Valery Borzov of the Soviet Union, who ran 10.14 to Taylor’s 10.24.

In the 400-meter relay, Taylor, along with Hart, Larry Black and Gerald Tinker, set a world record of 38.19 seconds in winning the gold.

Taylor, from Tyler, Texas, competed at Texas Southern University before the Olympics. He later became a teacher in Tyler and Houston.

His son, Bobby, played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks in the NFL.

In addition to his wife and son, he is survived by son Jonathan and daughter Cecilee, both of Houston; and brothers Peter, Elvin and Arthur Taylor and sister Gwen Taylor, all of Tyler.