Willie Taggart facts for kids
Taggart at a press conference at Florida State in 2017
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| Baltimore Ravens | |
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| Position: | Running backs coach |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | August 27, 1976 Bradenton, Florida, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| College: | Western Kentucky |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season: | NCAA: 71–80 (.470) |
| Postseason: | NCAA: 0–2 (.000) |
| Career: | NCAA: 71–82 (.464) |
Willie Author Taggart (born August 27, 1976) is a well-known American football coach. He currently coaches the running backs for the Baltimore Ravens in the National Football League (NFL). Before joining the NFL, he was the head coach for five different college football teams.
At each of these five colleges, Willie Taggart made history. He was the first African-American person to be hired as the head coach for those teams. These colleges include Western Kentucky, South Florida, Oregon, Florida State, and Florida Atlantic.
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Willie Taggart's Playing Days
How Willie Taggart Played in High School
Willie Taggart was a fantastic football player in high school. He went to Manatee High School in Bradenton, Florida. As a senior, he was chosen for the all-state and all-conference teams. He led his team, the Hurricanes, to the state championship game.
In his junior year, he helped his team win the state title. Over two years, his team had an amazing record of 26 wins and only 4 losses. During this time, he threw for over 3,000 yards and ran for 975 yards.
Willie Taggart's College Football Career
After high school, Taggart became a star quarterback at Western Kentucky University (WKU). He played there from 1995 to 1998. He was one of only three players in 50 years to start as quarterback for all four years. His jersey number was even retired, a huge honor!
In his last two years, he was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award. This award goes to the best offensive player in I-AA college football. He finished fourth in 1997 and seventh in 1998. As a senior, he was named an All-American. He was also the best offensive player in his conference in 1998.
Willie Taggart's Coaching Journey
Starting His Coaching Career
After finishing college in 1998, Taggart stayed at WKU as an assistant coach until 2006. He worked with coach Jack Harbaugh and helped the Hilltoppers win a national championship in 2002. He also worked with Jack's son, Jim Harbaugh, who later became a famous coach.
In 2007, Jim Harbaugh became the head coach at Stanford. He hired Taggart as his running backs coach. Taggart helped develop Toby Gerhart into a star player. Gerhart even won the Doak Walker Award. Taggart also helped recruit new players from states like Florida and Georgia.
Coaching Western Kentucky (2010–2012)
In 2010, Taggart returned to his old college, Western Kentucky, as the head football coach. In his first year, the team broke a long 26-game losing streak. They finished the season with 2 wins and 10 losses.
In 2011, Taggart led WKU to a winning season of 7 wins and 5 losses. They started with 4 losses but then won 7 of their last 8 games! Even with a winning record, they didn't get invited to a bowl game that year. In 2012, they had another good season with 7 wins and 5 losses. They were invited to the Little Caesars Bowl. However, Taggart left to coach at South Florida before the bowl game.
Coaching South Florida (2013–2016)
On December 7, 2012, Taggart became the head coach at the University of South Florida. This was close to his hometown.
In his first year, the Bulls had 2 wins and 10 losses. The next year, they improved to 4 wins and 8 losses. Taggart made some changes to his coaching staff. These changes, along with new players, gave the team more energy.
In 2015, the Bulls had a great season. Led by quarterback Quinton Flowers and running back Marlon Mack, they finished with 8 wins and 5 losses. This was their first time being eligible for a bowl game in five years. They played against WKU in the Miami Beach Bowl and lost.
In 2016, the Bulls had their best season ever! They won 10 games and lost only 2. They also won a share of their division title. This was the first time in the school's history that they won double-digit games.
Coaching Oregon (2017)
On December 7, 2016, Willie Taggart was announced as the new head coach for the Oregon Ducks.
In January 2017, some Oregon football players had to go to the hospital after very tough workouts. Taggart visited the players and apologized. He said, "As the head football coach, I am responsible for all our football activities. The safety of our students must come first." He also said he supported the university's actions to address the issue.
Taggart's hiring at Oregon was important because it highlighted the small number of African-American head coaches in major college football. Oregon had a law that required schools to interview qualified minority candidates for top coaching jobs.
In 2017, Oregon finished with 7 wins and 5 losses under Taggart. They beat teams like Nebraska and Oregon State. They lost to teams like Washington. Taggart left Oregon for Florida State before their bowl game.
Coaching Florida State (2018–2019)
On December 5, 2017, Taggart accepted the head coaching job at Florida State. In his first season, the Seminoles had a losing record of 5 wins and 7 losses. This was their first losing season since 1976. They also missed out on a bowl game for the first time in many years.
Many fans wanted Taggart to be fired. However, the school president and athletic director said they still believed in him. After a slow start to the 2019 season (4 wins and 5 losses), Taggart was fired in November 2019. Florida State had to pay a lot of money to end his contract early.
Coaching Florida Atlantic (2020–2022)
On December 11, 2019, Florida Atlantic University hired Willie Taggart as their new head coach. He signed a 5-year contract. On November 26, 2022, Florida Atlantic fired Taggart after a close loss to Western Kentucky. During his time with the Owls, Taggart only went to one bowl game, which they lost. He left Florida Atlantic with a losing record.
Coaching the Baltimore Ravens (2023–Present)
On February 22, 2023, Willie Taggart was hired as the running backs coach for the Baltimore Ravens. This brought him to the NFL.
Willie Taggart's Family Life
Willie Taggart is married to Taneshia. They have two sons, Willie Jr. and Jackson, and one daughter, Morgan.
Willie Taggart's Coaching Records
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (Sun Belt Conference) (2010–2012) | |||||||||
| 2010 | Western Kentucky | 2–10 | 2–6 | 9th | |||||
| 2011 | Western Kentucky | 7–5 | 7–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 2012 | Western Kentucky | 7–5 | 4–4 | 5th | Little Caesars Pizza* | ||||
| Western Kentucky: | 16–20 | 13–11 | * Departed Western Kentucky for South Florida before bowl game | ||||||
| South Florida Bulls (American Athletic Conference) (2013–2016) | |||||||||
| 2013 | South Florida | 2–10 | 2–6 | 8th | |||||
| 2014 | South Florida | 4–8 | 3–5 | 7th | |||||
| 2015 | South Florida | 8–5 | 6–2 | 2nd (East) | L Miami Beach | ||||
| 2016 | South Florida | 10–2 | 7–1 | T–1st (East) | Birmingham* | 19 | 19 | ||
| South Florida: | 24–25 | 18–14 | * Departed South Florida for Oregon before bowl game | ||||||
| Oregon Ducks (Pac-12 Conference) (2017) | |||||||||
| 2017 | Oregon | 7–5 | 4–5 | 4th (North) | Las Vegas* | ||||
| Oregon: | 7–5 | 4–5 | * Departed Oregon for Florida State before bowl game | ||||||
| Florida State Seminoles (Atlantic Coast Conference) (2018–2019) | |||||||||
| 2018 | Florida State | 5–7 | 3–5 | T–5th (Atlantic) | |||||
| 2019 | Florida State | 4–5 | 3–4 | ||||||
| Florida State: | 9–12 | 6–9 | |||||||
| Florida Atlantic Owls (Conference USA) (2020–2022) | |||||||||
| 2020 | Florida Atlantic | 5–4 | 4–2 | 2nd (East) | L Montgomery | ||||
| 2021 | Florida Atlantic | 5–7 | 3–5 | T–5th (East) | |||||
| 2022 | Florida Atlantic | 5–7 | 4–4 | T–4th | |||||
| Florida Atlantic: | 15–18 | 11–11 | |||||||
| Total: | 71–80 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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