DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaiian Islander Nian Taylor scored against Quad City Steamwheelers defender Hiawatha Phifer in Saturday's upset of the defending arenafootball2 champions.
Experienced Taylor If Nian Taylor keeps it up, someone might have to give him one of those silly nicknames.
gives Islanders edge
They are on a roll since
the journeyman joined
the team 4 games agoBy Nick Abramo
nabramo@starbulletin.comBut instead of Flyin' Hawaiian, they can just call him Flyin' Nian.
Taylor, who starred at Washington State, has been a spectacular two-way player since the Hawaiian Islanders of arenafootball2 acquired him late last month.
"He's the X-factor, a guy that brings it on every play," said Islanders coach Chad Carlson. "I can't tell you why he's been overlooked by the NFL, the CFL and AF1. He's been nothing but an outstanding young player for us. He's got a great personality. I enjoy his comments and I enjoy his flair on the field."
Taylor was instrumental in the Islanders' 56-55 upset of two-time defending league champion Quad City last weekend. He scored four times, including a 54-yard kickoff return to spur a wild fourth-quarter comeback. His 9-yard TD reception cut the deficit to 55-54, leading to Darnell Arceneaux's winning 2-point conversion pass to Taulia Lave.
In four games with the Islanders (4-11), Taylor has piled up 11 touchdowns and has received three national weekly honors from the 34-team league, including a second straight Iron Man Player of the Week award for his performance against the Steamwheelers.
But the elusive, multi-talented player isn't a stranger to the limelight. When he graduated, he was second all-time in receiving yardage for the Cougars with 2,447, just five yards short of Hugh Campbell's 2,452. He also played in the 1998 Rose Bowl and went up against Charles Woodson, Michigan's Heisman Trophy winner, in a 21-16 loss.
"I actually caught a pass on Woodson, with 20 seconds left on a deep route, and I got out of bounds, but the clock ran out before we could score," Taylor said.
Ryan Leaf, who failed to live up to his college billing in the NFL, was the Cougars' quarterback then.
"Ryan Leaf was a cool guy toward his teammates," Taylor said. "Outside of football, he has his own issues. I remember in the summers, he'd invite us to a cabin in Montana. We'd go out on Jetskis and he'd feed us."
Taylor played part of the 2001 season for the Arizona Rattlers of the parent Arena Football League. He finished the season with the af2's Richmond Speed and played in the championship game, in a losing cause against Quad City. He also played eight games for Richmond this season before being reassigned to the Islanders.
Taylor succeeded in his stated revenge on Quad City, and now he's looking forward to the season finale at Fresno on Saturday because his parents, who live in California, will be there.
One of the oddest moments in Taylor's football career came in his first game with the Islanders, a June 29 victory over Bakersfield.
"The game wasn't over yet, time was left on the clock, and some of the players drenched Coach Carlson with a jug of water," he said. "The thing was, they did it too early and he was so mad. The players were so excited to be winning, and he was worried about something happening in the final minute. After the game, a bunch of guys were trying to calm him down, saying 'chill it out.' I can understand both sides of the situation."
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound wide receiver/defensive back feels like he's fitting right in.
"They brought me in like I've been here the whole season," Taylor said about his new teammates. "We just bonded."
Hawaiian Islanders
