University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Ivan "Ike" Taylor - Louisiana Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2019
11/2/2019 11:34:00 AM | Athletics
College football players change positions constantly, but rare is one who switches sides of the ball with only one year of eligibility remaining
LAFAYETTE - College football players change positions constantly, but rare is one who switches sides of the ball with only one year of eligibility remaining.
Ike Taylor played running back for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns during his junior season in 2001, his first year on the squad, but he was only there because a struggling Ragin' Cajuns offense needed all the help it could get.
"I always wanted to play defense," Taylor said. "I just played running back to help the team out."
In that one year, he was Louisiana's second-leading rusher with 323 yards and three touchdowns, and showed signs of things to come with touchdown runs of 65 and 48 yards along with catching 18 passes and returning kickoffs.
Taylor had been a standout on both sides of the ball at New Orleans' Abramson High, so it wasn't that big a transition … especially after new head coach Rickey Bustle took over the program entering his senior season.
The Ragin' Cajuns only made marginal improvement that season – they were still three years away from Bustle leading Louisiana to a surprising 2005 Sun Belt Conference title – but Taylor was a breakout star. He finished his senior season at cornerback with 46 tackles, eight breakups to tie teammate and fellow future NFL standout Charles "Peanut" Tillman, and a reputation as a ball-hawk in the Cajun secondary.
"Coach (Gary) Bartel kept telling me I had a shot to go to the NFL if I switched to defensive back," the Gretna native said. "I was a physical guy, I was fast and I liked to hit people. It just took time to work on my technique."
Over the next 12 years, he had plenty of time to fine-tune that technique, and by the time Taylor finished an impressive NFL career he ranked as the all-time pass defender in the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers – a team synonymous with defense. He had 134 pass breakups in his career, all of it spent in the Steel City, and also ranks ninth on Pittsburgh's all-time list with 517 solo tackles.
"You could see the physical abilities he had," Bustle said during Taylor's NFL career. "He just had a late start learning how to play the position."
He learned it well enough that Taylor is one of this week's inductees into the Louisiana Athletics Hall of Fame, part of a group that will be honored as part of this year's Homecoming activities.Â
He'll have a couple of long-time Steelers staffers on hand for the induction, which is only fitting since he patrolled the Pittsburgh secondary for over a decade after being tabbed in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Three years later, he started at cornerback in Super Bowl XL when the Steelers won their fifth title.
His best Super Bowl came three years later, though, when he had eight tackles in a 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.
Not bad for a guy who had one year of defensive experience behind him when the Steelers made him the 125th selection in 2003 – a move which prompted long-time Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sportswriter Mark Madden to proclaim Taylor the Steelers' "worst draft pick ever."
A dozen years later, he retired as a Steeler at age 35, after being limited to five games in 2014 because of a broken arm.
"Other than having my son, playing for the Steelers has been the best experience in my entire lifetime," Taylor said when announcing his retirement. "It is rare, in this day of free agency, super rare to play for one team. For me to have this opportunity says a lot about how they felt about me, what I gave back to the organization."
Â
Ike Taylor played running back for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns during his junior season in 2001, his first year on the squad, but he was only there because a struggling Ragin' Cajuns offense needed all the help it could get.
"I always wanted to play defense," Taylor said. "I just played running back to help the team out."
In that one year, he was Louisiana's second-leading rusher with 323 yards and three touchdowns, and showed signs of things to come with touchdown runs of 65 and 48 yards along with catching 18 passes and returning kickoffs.
Taylor had been a standout on both sides of the ball at New Orleans' Abramson High, so it wasn't that big a transition … especially after new head coach Rickey Bustle took over the program entering his senior season.
The Ragin' Cajuns only made marginal improvement that season – they were still three years away from Bustle leading Louisiana to a surprising 2005 Sun Belt Conference title – but Taylor was a breakout star. He finished his senior season at cornerback with 46 tackles, eight breakups to tie teammate and fellow future NFL standout Charles "Peanut" Tillman, and a reputation as a ball-hawk in the Cajun secondary.
"Coach (Gary) Bartel kept telling me I had a shot to go to the NFL if I switched to defensive back," the Gretna native said. "I was a physical guy, I was fast and I liked to hit people. It just took time to work on my technique."
Over the next 12 years, he had plenty of time to fine-tune that technique, and by the time Taylor finished an impressive NFL career he ranked as the all-time pass defender in the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers – a team synonymous with defense. He had 134 pass breakups in his career, all of it spent in the Steel City, and also ranks ninth on Pittsburgh's all-time list with 517 solo tackles.
"You could see the physical abilities he had," Bustle said during Taylor's NFL career. "He just had a late start learning how to play the position."
He learned it well enough that Taylor is one of this week's inductees into the Louisiana Athletics Hall of Fame, part of a group that will be honored as part of this year's Homecoming activities.Â
He'll have a couple of long-time Steelers staffers on hand for the induction, which is only fitting since he patrolled the Pittsburgh secondary for over a decade after being tabbed in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Three years later, he started at cornerback in Super Bowl XL when the Steelers won their fifth title.
His best Super Bowl came three years later, though, when he had eight tackles in a 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.
Not bad for a guy who had one year of defensive experience behind him when the Steelers made him the 125th selection in 2003 – a move which prompted long-time Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sportswriter Mark Madden to proclaim Taylor the Steelers' "worst draft pick ever."
A dozen years later, he retired as a Steeler at age 35, after being limited to five games in 2014 because of a broken arm.
"Other than having my son, playing for the Steelers has been the best experience in my entire lifetime," Taylor said when announcing his retirement. "It is rare, in this day of free agency, super rare to play for one team. For me to have this opportunity says a lot about how they felt about me, what I gave back to the organization."
Â
Gabbie Stutes and Emily Smith Media Availability (Feb 2, 2026)
Monday, February 02
Sage Hoover and Lexie Delbrey Media Availability (Feb 2, 2026)
Monday, February 02
Alyson Habetz Media Availability (Feb 2, 2026)
Monday, February 02
Garry Brodhead Media Availability (Feb 2, 2026)
Monday, February 02
