Jim Taylor was inducted into the Swans Hall of Fame in 2013.

Jim Taylor

1949-1954; 1956-1961
153 games
35 goals
Best & Fairest 1953, 1957

Bio 

South Melbourne was fortunate to win Jim Taylor’s signature, as he could have concentrated on his other great love – athletics. Jim was such a brilliant high jumper while attending Caulfield Grammar School that he was mooted as a potential Australian representative. Football, however, was Jim’s first love, and the boy who lived within walking distance of the Lake Oval worked his way through the ranks from the South Melbourne fourths to make his senior debut in 1949. Taylor’s leap and strong marking saw him play seven games in his first season and, from there, he developed into a reliable and fearless ruckman. Jim, who could pinch-hit at centre half-forward, won the Swans Best and Fairest in 1953 and established himself as a regular Victorian representative. Taylor rocked South Melbourne before the start of the 1955 season when he indicated he wanted to play with South Australian club Norwood. After a year in South Australia, he returned to the Lake Oval in 1956. Jim, who combined superbly with rover Bob Skilton, won a second Best and Fairest in 1957. He retired at the end of the 1961 season and became a highly respected media commentator as a panel member on Channel Seven’s “World Of Sport”.