President Gary Ransdell and Athletics Director Wood Selig announced on Monday that Willie Taggart will take over as the new head football coach, and while some fans didn’t immediately recognize the name, many knew that a change was needed.
“I don’t know who that is, but honestly I feel like anything is better than what we’ve got right now,” Covington senior Amy Roberts said.
Taggart played on Western’s team from 1995-98 and served on the coaching staff from 1999-2006, which Roberts said would be a benefit to the team in the future.
“It’s going to help to bring someone in who’s already been at Western,” Roberts said. “People are going to be able to relate to that a lot more. Getting someone who is fond of Western will make a much smoother transition.”
Mike Taggart, who is a sophomore from Hendersonville, Tenn., and no relation to Willie Taggart, also said prior experience at Western will be a good thing.
“He knows about our fans and work ethic,” he said. “He knows what to expect.”
The move makes Taggart the 10th black head coach in the Football Bowl Subdivison, and Ryan Heiney, a junior from Santa Claus, Ind., said he’s glad more African-Americans are getting head coaching positions.
But Taggart said he hadn’t considered his race until asked about it during his introductory press conference on Monday.
“I don’t want to be known as a minority coach,” he said. “I want to be known as a head football coach, and that’s what I am. I’m a head football coach.”
Taggart has served since 2006 as the running backs coach at Stanford, which ranks 13th in the nation in total rushing yards per game.
Marshall Bull, a junior from White House, Tenn., said he thinks Taggart’s success coaching in the Pac-10 is only going to help improve Western’s offense.
The hire came with two games left in the season and amid an 18-game losing streak for the Hilltoppers, the longest in the nation.
Henderson sophomore Mike Bjoralt said he’s hoping the Western program will return to the success it once had.
“We were the 2002 champions in Division I-AA (now the Football Championship Series),” he said. “We should win at least one game. Hopefully the new coach will help us out.”
Clarissa Dohogne, a sophomore from New Albany, Ind., said she is looking forward the future of the program.
“It’s exciting,” she said. “It’s definitely good that he’s been here before. His insight will be good, and hopefully that will help a lot.”
Sophomore Diego Ambriz, from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon in Mexico, said he hopes Taggart can give the Toppers an extra spark as the new head coach.
“He’s supposed to know how things work, so maybe he can share that motivation with the players and we can win a game,” he said.
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