He was an outstanding schoolboy athlete, and displayed great talent both a sprinter and as a high-jumper whilst at Caulfield Grammar School.
Combined Sports he won the open high-jump, setting a new record of 5 ft 11+5⁄8 in (1.82 m), and won the open 100 yards (in 10.7 secs),[5] which was an extraordinary feat, given that he had badly strained his ankle a week earlier, and had been unable to train at all for the five days prior to the competition.
Playing as a forward pocket and in the second ruck,[11] he kicked one goal and was one of South Melbourne's best players.
Geelong won 11.11 (77) to 7.8 (50), and Taylor was one of South Melbourne's best players (on one occasion he took a spectacular diving one-handed mark, with his left hand).
In 1957 he was fourth in the Brownlow Medal, and in 1961, his final VFL season, he finished equal fifth, in a year he played only 12 games