It didn’t take long for Van Taylor’s influence to be felt at Lander. Beginning with his first season on the then-Senator sidelines in 1985, Taylor guided the five-year-old Lander program to second place in NAIA District 6 and its second winning season (14-4-1).

Taylor, a 1975 graduate of Erskine College where he received a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education, earned NAIA All-District 6 and NCAA All-American honors in 1975. He was inducted into the Erskine Hall of Fame in 1982. He received his master's degree in education from Lander in 1990 and his Certification in Administration and Supervision from Clemson University in 2003.

In 26 seasons at Lander, Taylor has amassed an overall 352-142-26 record (.701 winning percentage). The 2005 team won the NCAA Division II Southeast Region championship, while the 2001 team finished No. 6 in the country when it posted a 17-4 campaign and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II national tournament. In addition to five straight NCAA tournament appearences from 2005-09, Lander earned berths in 1996 and 2001.

Taylor led Lander to its first of three NAIA District 6 championships in 1987 (15-4-1). The Senators also won District 6 titles in 1990 (20-5) and 1991 (21-3-1).

In 1990, the Senators won the NAIA Area 9 championship and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament where they placed third. The Senators won the Nels Dahlquist Sportsmanship Trophy at the tournament.

Since joining the NCAA, Lander has won Peach Belt tournament championships in 1991, 1996, 2006 and 2009. The Bearcats also claimed PBC regular-season titles in 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2006, and 2010. In 1996, Lander was ranked as high as No. 2 in the country and earned a berth in the NCAA Division II national tournament.

Taylor was named the PBC Coach of the Year in 1991 and ’95 and the NCAA Southeast Region Coach of the Year in 1995, 2001 and 2005. He was named NAIA District 6 Coach of the Year in 1985, ’90 and ’91, and NAIA Area 9 Coach of the Year in 1990.

In 1975, Taylor was a first-round draft choice for the New York Cosmos of the NASL. Taylor was traded to the Miami Toros in 1976 where he played for three seasons while earning runnerup honors for Rookie of the Year. He was later traded to the Columbus Magic of the ASL in 1979. He finished his playing career with the Phoenix Inferno of the MISL (1980-84).

As a prep at West Essex High School in North Caldwell, N.J., Taylor was a Parade Magazine All-American and was inducted into the West Essex Hall of Fame in 1991.

Taylor earned the Union of European Football Association (UEFA) "A" license in 1998 and added the UEFA Pro License in 2004. A NSCAA Premier Diploma holder and USSF "A" and National Youth licensed coach, Taylor is a U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) staff coach and instructor. He also serves as a Region III staff coach for the U.S. Youth Soccer Association (USYSA).