[2] Beginning his football career at Indiana University for the Hoosiers team, he played in the NFL for the New York Yanks from 1950 to 1951, the Dallas Texans in 1952, the Baltimore Colts from 1953 to 1954, and Philadelphia Eagles in 1955.

On November 22, 1953, he became the first black player to start at quarterback in the NFL in the post-color bar era when he saw emergency duty against the Los Angeles Rams.

He struggled with prejudice of the time during his studies at Indiana that ranged from being barred from living in the dormitories to conflicting attitudes from teammates about his treatment on and off the field.

[5] As the leading rusher and an All-American at Indiana University, he led the Hoosiers team to their only undefeated Big Ten Conference championship during his rookie year in 1945,[3][6] and he led the conference in rushing (a first for an African American in the Big Ten) with 719 yards on 156 carries; he started his college career with 95 yards on 20 carries against Michigan as left halfback.

[8] Taliaferro, primarily a halfback who also punted, was picked by the Chicago Bears in the thirteenth round of the 1949 NFL draft but instead chose to play for the Los Angeles Dons of the All-America Football Conference.

Taliaferro and the Yanks were derailed by erratic circumstances for 1951, in which they had just four home games due to the tenants of Yankee Stadium forcing them out in the opening weeks of the season.

In recognition of his efforts, Taliaferro was named to the 1953 Pro Bowl alongside his teammate John Wozniak while having a 2nd Team award from the Associated Press.

He would also make appearances at quarterback, mostly during the latter part of a seven-game losing streak to end the season, with most of his passes (15-of-55 for 211 yards) coming there, and he threw two touchdowns to five interceptions.

On November 22, 1953, Taliaferro became the first black player to start at quarterback in the NFL in the years after the fall of the league's color bar.

[12] In his first time playing the position in his five-year professional career,[13] Thrust into action by the injury of Colts QB Freddy Enke, Taliaferro posted his second and final 100-yard rushing game, running for 136 yards on sixteen carries for one touchdown in the 21–13 loss to the Rams.

Alongside teammates Art Donovan, Dick Barwegen, and Tom Keane, he was named to the Pro Bowl for his third and final time.

Taliaferro died at age 91 on October 8, 2018, in Mason, Ohio, from heart failure having left his longtime home of Bloomington, Indiana, a year earlier.