Robert Taylor, former head coach of Santa Monica Community College — where he coached the likes of Isaac Bruce, Chad OchoCinco and the Panthers' Steve Smith (Chad and Steve were teammates) as well as dozens of other NFL and Division-I players — passed away a few hours ago.

He had been stricken with cancer last year but was doing well this summer when I spoke with him. He was bragging about his white-blood cell counts and telling me how good he felt.

The man was a legend in the junior-college coaching ranks. "I used to hate going to the conventions with him," former assistant Rory Barnett told me a few minutes ago. "He'd get two feet in the door and be mobbed. Everyone loved him."

That definitely goes for Steve. We have talked many times about Coach Taylor, who was the father figure he never had in his life. Steve was one of the guys Taylor saved from the streets, and that might go down as his legacy.

"He saved me," Barnett said. "I was a tranwreck, and he pulled me out. He gave me a job and a chance. He was one of the kindest men I ever knew. He was always helping people out. For 25 years, that's what he did. Coached (football) and took kids under his wing. I am going to miss him so much."

Just got a text from Steve: “Man I am really heartbroken over this.” Understadably, he didn't feel like chatting. Reading Chad's Twitter page today, it was clear how upset he was, too.

Taylor was fired this summer under allegations of recruiting violations, but he never found out what the charges were, according to Barnett. "He was just let go by this new (college) president," Barnett said. "I don't like the way he was railroaded out of here. Football was that man's life. He's a legend around here, has been for 25 years."

And true to those words, in Bear Bryant-like fashion, Taylor — who was fired on July 23 — passed away less than three months later. He was set to attend this weekend's Santa Monica game against West LA Community College.

"He was always asking (me),'How are the kids? How are they doing?'" said Barnett, who remains on the Corsairs' coaching staff. "And I was going to see him (Saturday)."

Taylor and I spoke three, maybe four times. He was extremely generous with his time, gleefully remembering old stories about his players, mainly about Chad and Steve for me. He talked about Steve's orange hair and Chad's Day-glo "suits" he would wear on the sideline the season he was academically ineligible. And of course, there were the fights they got into. But Taylor always spoke proudly of his players, even when talking of their less-than-proudest moments.

The coaching community lost a giant today.