Jack Taylor (referee) facts for kids
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Taylor in 1975
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| Full name | John Keith Taylor | ||
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| Born | 21 May 1930 Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England |
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| Died | 27 July 2012 (aged 82) Shifnal, Shropshire, England |
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| Other occupation | Butcher | ||
| International | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 1963–1977 | FIFA listed | Referee | |
John Keith Taylor (born May 21, 1930 – died July 27, 2012) was a famous English football referee. Many people, including the Football League, called him "perhaps the finest English referee of all time." Taylor is best known for being the referee in the 1974 FIFA World Cup Final. In that important match, he made history by giving two penalty kicks in the first 30 minutes. The very first penalty, given after only one minute, was the first-ever penalty kick in a World Cup final!
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Jack Taylor's Refereeing Journey
Taylor left school when he was 14 years old. He started working in his father's butcher shop. There, he met Jim Lock, who was the secretary of the local football referees' group. Jim Lock encouraged Taylor to train as a referee.
Taylor became a class 3 referee and took charge of his first game at age 17. With help from Lock and other football officials, Taylor quickly moved up. He started refereeing 70 to 80 matches each season in local leagues. In 1953, the Birmingham Football Association chose him to be a linesman in an international game in France.
When he was 25, Taylor became the youngest linesman on the English Football League's list. He worked as a linesman in a Division Three South match in August 1955. About three years later, he became a league referee. His first game as a referee in the league was a Fourth Division match. In 1962, at age 31, he refereed the FA Amateur Cup final at Wembley Stadium. He was also chosen by the Football Association to join the FIFA international panel.
In 1964, he refereed a match between Brazil and Argentina in Rio de Janeiro. The next year, he was asked to referee two games between Brazil and the Soviet Union. Both teams were getting ready for the 1966 FIFA World Cup. Taylor first refereed at the FIFA World Cup in 1970. He was in charge of a group game between Italy and Sweden. He was the only English official chosen for that tournament in Mexico. He also worked as a linesman in three other matches. He was again chosen for the 1974 tournament, where he became very famous. He was a linesman in two matches and refereed two others before the final game.
The 1974 World Cup Final
Taylor was chosen to referee the final match between the host team, West Germany, and the Netherlands. The game was played at Olympiastadion in Munich on July 7, 1974.
The game's start was delayed because Taylor noticed that the ground staff had forgotten to put the corner flags on the field. They had been removed for the closing ceremony that happened before the final. After only one minute of play, Taylor made World Cup history. He awarded a penalty kick, which was the first one ever given in a World Cup final. The Netherlands got the penalty after a German player, Uli Hoeneß, tackled Johan Cruyff just outside the penalty area. Johan Neeskens successfully scored the penalty.
In the 26th minute, Taylor awarded a second penalty, this time to West Germany. He called a foul on Dutch midfielder Wim Jansen for tripping German player Bernd Hölzenbein. As the teams left the field at half-time, Cruyff received a warning for arguing with Taylor. This was the last of four players Taylor warned during the final.
Taylor later spoke about these important moments:
- "The first penalty was easy to call. I just remember thinking it was 100% correct. When the ball was placed on the spot, the whole stadium became quiet. Beckenbauer, the German captain, came to me and said 'Taylor, you're an Englishman'. The kick went in and there was complete excitement."
- "What really bothers me is the idea that I gave [the second penalty] to make things even. It was a trip or an attempted trip, and the rules of the game say that's a penalty."
After the World Cup
Taylor once said, "I literally did swap my butcher's apron for the whistle to take charge of the World Cup final." After the 1974 final, Taylor stopped working at his butcher shop to focus only on refereeing. He retired from refereeing in 1977.
During his career, Taylor was a referee for 33 years. He took charge of more than 1,000 games, including over 100 international matches played in 60 countries. He also refereed several big club finals. In 1966, he officiated the 1966 FA Cup Final between Everton and Sheffield Wednesday. Then, in 1971, he refereed the 1971 European Cup Final between AFC Ajax and Panathinaikos. Both of these matches were held at Wembley Stadium.
After closing his butcher shop, he spent two seasons refereeing in Brazil. He then returned to England in 1979 to become the Commercial Director at Wolverhampton Wanderers. He left that job in August 1982. Later, Taylor became a refereeing coach in countries like South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, and Brazil.
Awards and Recognition
Taylor received an OBE award in 1975. He also received a special PFA Merit Award in 1977. On February 1, 1999, he was added to the FIFA Hall of Fame in Barcelona. In 2007, the Football League gave him a special award, calling him "perhaps the finest English referee of all time." On September 25, 2013, he became the first referee to be added to the English Football Hall of Fame.
According to his obituary in The Independent, Taylor had a good sense of humor. He showed this after being cut in the face by a penny thrown by a fan at a Luton Town game. When Eric Morecambe, a famous comedian and a director for Luton, asked if he would report the incident, Taylor said no. Morecambe then replied, "Good, now can I have my penny back?" Taylor laughed loudly and told this story for the rest of his life.
Jack Taylor's Personal Life
Taylor was born at 33 Sweetman Street in Wolverhampton. His father, Albert Taylor, was a butcher, and his mother was Olive Gertrude (née Lane). Taylor grew up above the butcher shop, which was next to Wolverhampton Wanderers' home stadium, Molineux. He later managed the family business while still refereeing on weekends.
Taylor was married twice. In November 1956, he married Hazel Mary Whitehouse. They had two sons and two daughters. In 1982, he married Susan Millicent Spann.
Taylor also served as a lay magistrate in Wolverhampton for 25 years. He owned greyhounds and was a steward for the National Greyhound Racing Club. He was also a steward at Wolverhampton Racecourse.
He passed away from pneumonia at his home in Lower Upton, Shifnal, Shropshire, on July 27, 2012. He was 82 years old.
In 2016, his life story was added to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Books by Jack Taylor
