Carl Taseff

Carl N. "Gaucho" Taseff (September 28, 1928 – February 27, 2005) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL). Taseff had an 11-year playing career, primarily with the Baltimore Colts, where he was a member of the 1958 and 1959 NFL Championship winning teams. Taseff then coached for 27 seasons, winning Super Bowl VII and Super Bowl VIII as part of the Miami Dolphins coaching staff.

Early life Carl Taseff was born on September 28, 1928, in Parma, Ohio. Taseff attended East High School in Cleveland, Ohio, where he played football and basketball.

College career Tassef attended John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, where he was a roommate and college football teammate of future Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula. Taseff starred on both the football and basketball team.

In football, Taseff played halfback. He was a four year varsity letterman, and earned numerous awards and accolades during his college career. He was named to the All-Big Four team (1947-1950), AP All-Ohio team (1947-1950), All-Ohio Conference (1947-1948), and the 1950 Little All-America college football team. Taseff rushed for 3,829 yards and 60 touchdowns while at John Carroll. During the 1950 season, Taseff was the second highest scorer in the nation for all colleges. The Browns released Taseff on waivers prior to the regular season, but he went unclaimed and the team added him to the roster when halfback Don Phelps was injured.

Baltimore Colts (1953-1961) On March 25, 1953, Taseff was involved in a massive 15 player trade with the Baltimore Colts — a 10 player-for-5 player swap of contracts. Joining Taseff in making the move from the Browns to the expansion Colts were such future starters as defensive backs Don Shula and Bert Rechichar, end Art Spinney, and veteran guard Ed Sharkey.

Philadelphia Eagles (1961) Taseff was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles in the middle of the 1961 season after being cut by the Colts. He appeared in five games for the Eagles, mainly returning punts.