Taylor later recalled: "I literally did swap my butcher's apron for the whistle to take charge of the World Cup final." However, after the 1974 final, Taylor quit his butcher's shop to focus on refereeing, then retired in 1977. Over his career, Taylor served as a referee for 33 years, taking charge of more than 1,000 games, over 100 international fixtures played in 60 countries. He also took charge of several major club competition finals: in 1966 he officiated at the FA Cup Final between Everton and Sheffield Wednesday, followed by the 1971 European Cup Final between AFC Ajax and Panathinaikos, both staged at Wembley Stadium.