Taylor comically predicts Walsh's reaction to 49ers' boom-box entrance
Taylor comically predicts Walsh's reaction to 49ers' boom-box entrance originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Much has changed in the NFL since 49ers legend John Taylor’s playing days under coach Bill Walsh, particularly regarding team entrances.
Speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle's Eric Branch ahead of his induction to the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, Taylor expressed his bewilderment at witnessing the 49ers walk onto the field during the 2022 NFC Championship Game carrying a large boom box blasting rap music.
“All of a sudden, I hear this, ‘Boom! Boom! Boom!’ Rap music,” Taylor said. “And I turned around and I’m like, ‘What the hell’s going on?’ And the door busts open and here the team comes. And I’m standing there thinking in my mind, ‘There ain’t no way in hell Bill would let us do that. There ain’t no way.’”
Taylor served as an honorary captain for San Francisco during the 2022 NFC title tilt against the Los Angeles Rams, and he imparted his wisdom onto players like Brandon Aiyuk during the time he spent with the team.
Generally regarded as one of the best coaches in NFL history, Bill Walsh molded San Francisco into a perennial title contender in the 1980s, and he was instrumental in developing the West Coast Offense, revolutionizing the passing game. Walsh also was known for his disciplined approach to coaching and running the team, so coming out from the tunnel carrying a boom box would not have gone over well.
San Francisco selected Taylor with the No. 76 overall pick in the 1986 NFL Draft, and he blossomed into an elite No. 2 option in the 49ers' vaunted receiving corps behind Jerry Rice.
Taylor won three Super Bowl titles with the franchise, and he is remembered for his game-winning touchdown pass from Joe Montana in the waning seconds of Super Bowl XXIII against the Cincinnati Bengals.
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