At age 15, he had to undergo back surgery after a damaged lumbar vertebra from a skateboarding accident threatened to paralyze him.

[2] In February 1998, Knox won the inaugural K2 Big-Wave Challenge, an event that offered $50,000 to the surfer who caught the biggest wave of the winter and had photographic evidence.

[2] In August 2011, Knox was inducted into the Surfers' Hall of Fame at Huntington Beach alongside George Downing and Chuck Linnen.

[1] In addition to surfing, Knox was also involved with the video game Left 4 Dead released by Valve in 2008.

[7] Taylor Knox is known for his ferocious frontside hacks, where he utilized his power and speed to put himself on the most critical sections of the wave.