Willie Taggart

Willie Taggart (born August 27, 1976) is a head college football coach at the University of South Florida (USF) and a former college football player. He took the position at USF in December 2012. Taggart previously served as head coach at Western Kentucky University (WKU) from 2009 to 2012, compiling a record of 16–20. He is the first African American head football coach at both institutions.^[1]

Playing career

High school career

Taggart was a prep standout at Bradenton Manatee High School in Florida, where he was a first team all-state and all-conference selection as a senior after guiding the Hurricanes to the state 5A Championship game. He led MHS to the state title his junior season and helped the school post a 26–4 record during that two-year span, while recording more than 3,000 yards passing and 975 yards on the ground.

College career

Taggart then became a star quarterback for the WKU Hilltoppers from 1995 through 1998, being one of only three WKU players in the previous 50 years to be a four-year starter at the position and one of only four Hilltoppers players to have his jersey retired. In each of his last two collegiate seasons, he was a finalist for the prestigious Walter Payton Award, which is an honor given annually to the top offensive player in I-AA football. Taggart finished fourth in the balloting in 1997 and seventh as a senior the following year. An All-American as a senior, he was also the 1998 I-AA Independents’ Offensive Player of the Year. Taggart was recruited to WKU by Jim Harbaugh to play for his father, Jack Harbaugh.^[2]

Coaching career

Western Kentucky

After graduating from WKU in 1998, he stayed on at the school as an assistant through 2006, notably serving as co-offensive coordinator under Jack Harbaugh on the Hilltoppers' 2002 Division I-AA national champions. Taggart also worked alongside Harbaugh's son Jim,^[3] who had been an unpaid certified assistant coach under his father in the final years of his NFL career.

Stanford

When Jim Harbaugh was named head coach of the Stanford Cardinal football team following the 2006 season, he hired Taggart as his running backs coach. Taggart served in that role for the next two seasons, notably developing Doak Walker Award winner and Heisman runner-up, Toby Gerhart, into a star during that time. The younger Harbaugh also gave Taggart responsibility for recruiting in Taggart's home state of Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and Riverside County, California.^[3]

Back to Western Kentucky

In 2011 and 2012, Taggart led WKU to a bowl eligible record of 7–5. The Hilltoppers accepted an invitation to play Central Michigan in the Little Caesars Bowl on December 26, 2012 on ESPN.^[4]

South Florida

Early struggles

On December 7, 2012, Taggart took over as head coach at the University of South Florida in his native Tampa Bay area.^[5] In his first season, Taggart led the Bulls to a disappointing 2 - 10 season. For the 2014 season, Taggart was able to double the amount of wins and finish with a record of 4 - 8. During the off-season, Taggart made several personnel changes, including replacing the Offensive and Defensive Coordinators. The change of schemes as well as the development of his first 2 recruiting classes provided the team with much needed energy and depth of positions.

Back to bowling

In 2015, Led by conference leaders QB Quinton Flowers and RB Marlon Mack, the Bulls started the season 1-3 before finishing the regular season with a much improved record of 8–5 and bowl eligibility for the first time in 5 years. The Bulls lost to WKU in the Miami Beach Bowl.

Coaching tree

Assistant coaches under Willie Taggart who became NCAA head coaches:

• Tom Allen, Indiana Hoosiers (2016–present)

Personal life

Taggart and his wife Taneshia have three children including two sons (Willie Jr. and Jackson) and a daughter (Morgan).^[6][7]

Head coaching record

Notes

References

External links

• South Florida profile
• Willie Taggart at the College Football Data Warehouse