Australian Football

Col Taylor was a life-time advocate of Australian Football in Queensland who contributed significantly as a player, coach, and media commentator, and was a fine student of the game. He commenced his senior career at Kedron in 1942 after converting from a rugby league initiation at St Columbans College at Clayfield, and went on to play more than 120 games for the Redlegs, generally in the ruck or at centre half forward. After a promising first season his football career was interrupted by four years of service in the army (1943 to 1946) during the Second World War. He debuted for Queensland in 1947 and played three State games in 1947 and 1948.

After his retirement as a player Taylor coached the Kedron U18 side to a premiership in 1951 and guided the Kedron senior team to four finals series, two Grand Finals and a premiership in 1957 in a six-year senior coaching stint during the late 1950s and early 1960s, which also included an appointment as Queensland coach in 1967. He later spent 10 years as Chairman of “The Leach Motors Football Forum”, a popular radio program, and contributed as a board member at Kedron and club delegate to the QAFL.

The Football Record of 1962 said of Taylor: “… he is a quiet, scholarly, still-young man who has the respect of every member of his team – and of all who know him – and who is responsible for the ‘Raging Redlegs’.” John Morton, former football writer with the Telegraph, describes him at the time of his coaching as a quiet, conservative and tactful man. He was a real student of the game who did all he could to further his understanding.

Author - Murray Bird and Peter Blucher