Graham Taylor
A football manager who took a small-town club to the top division and an FA Cup final, then endured the brutal pressure of leading England.
1944–2017 (age 73)·English football player, manager and chairman·Birthday: September 15·The Silent Generation
Biography
Graham Taylor’s career was a story of deep connection and profound pressure. He began as a solid if unspectacular full-back, but his true calling was management. At Watford, his first major post, he forged a remarkable bond with chairman Elton John, and together they propelled the club from the old Fourth Division to the First in just five years, reaching the 1984 FA Cup final. His success with Aston Villa followed, but his 1990 appointment as England manager defined his public legacy. Taylor’s tenure, documented in the infamous fly-on-the-wall film ‘An Impossible Job’, was marked by intense media scrutiny and the heartbreak of failing to qualify for the 1994 World Cup. He returned to club management with a quieter dignity, later serving as Watford chairman, remembered for his decency in an often ruthless industry.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Graham was born in 1944, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Graham Was Born
The biggest hits of 1944
#1 Movie
Going My Way
Best Picture
Going My Way
Graham's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1944Born
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1949Started school
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1957Became a teenager
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1960Could drive
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1962Could vote
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Turned 21
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1974Turned 30
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1984Turned 40
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1994Turned 50
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 60
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 70
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2017Died at 73
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
Key Achievements
- Led Watford from the Fourth Division to the First Division and an FA Cup final within five years.
- Managed the England national football team from 1990 to 1993.
- Won the Second Division title with Aston Villa in 1988, securing their top-flight return.
- Awarded an OBE in 2002 for services to football.
Did You Know?
His father was a sports journalist for a local newspaper.
The phrase 'Do I not like that' from the documentary about his England tenure became a national catchphrase.
He turned down the chance to manage Barcelona in 1986, choosing to stay at Watford.
He was the first England manager to have also played professionally in all four divisions of the Football League.
“I've never seen a bag of money score a goal.”
