Taylor comically predicts Walsh’s reaction to 49ers speaker entrance originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
A lot has changed in the NFL since 49ers legend John Taylor’s playing days under coach Bill Walsh, particularly when it comes to team starters.
Speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle Eric Affiliate Prior to his induction into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, Taylor expressed his bewilderment upon witnessing the 49ers take the field during the 2022 NFC Championship Game carrying a large speaker explosion rap music.
“All of a sudden I hear this: ‘Boom! Boom! Boom!’ Rap music,” Taylor said. “And I turned around and thought, ‘What the hell is going on?’ And the door opens and here comes the team. And I was sitting there thinking, ‘There’s no way in hell Bill would let us do this. There is no way to.'”
Taylor served as San Francisco’s honorary captain during their 2022 NFC title run against the Los Angeles Rams and imparted his wisdom to players such as Brandon Aiyuk during his time with the team.
Generally considered one of the best coaches in NFL history, Bill Walsh transformed San Francisco into a perennial title contender in the 1980s and was instrumental in the development of the West Coast Offense, revolutionizing the passing game. Walsh was also known for his disciplined approach to training and managing the team, so leaving the tunnel carrying a boombox would not have been a good idea.
San Francisco selected Taylor with the No. 76 overall pick in the 1986 NFL Draft, and he became an elite No. 2 option in the 49ers’ vaunted receiving corps behind Jerry Rice.
Taylor won three Super Bowl titles with the franchise and is remembered for his touchdown pass to Joe Montana in the closing seconds of Super Bowl XXIII against the Cincinnati Bengals.
