From the Top Prospect to the Berlin Crisis and Marriage (1939-1962)

"Hawk" Taylor was a two-sport star at Metropolis High School, playing both basketball and baseball. Upon graduation, he found his calling in baseball. Both the Milwaukee Braves and the Chicago Cubs jostled to get the year's top prospect on their rosters. He was offered a deal from the Braves no one could turn down—over $100,000 (over $1,000,000 in 2024) in a bonus contract to go straight from his high school team to the big leagues. Rather than spending years grinding out his skills in the minor leagues, he could play for a World Series-winning team right then and there. He accepted.

Playing on a roster alongside figures like Eddie Mathews, Henry Aaron, Del Crandall, and others meant Hawk simply couldn’t find playing time in an otherwise dreamlike experience. There was simply no room left for the rookie in a team of giants. The Braves won the 1957 World Series, something Hawk would be grateful to be a part of for the rest of his life. By 1959, Hawk was finally able to build his skills through regular playing time in the minor leagues, winning the Junior World Series with the Louisville Colonels in 1960 and returning to the Braves in 1961. He couldn't stay long, though; a brief stint in the military during the Berlin Crisis left  Hawk with a leg injury. Off the diamond, life was better than ever and Hawk married the love of his life, Marie Taylor, in October of 1962.