Willie Taggart Biography and Wiki
Willie Taggart is an American football college coach well known as the head coach at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Taggart is also known for serving as the head coach at Florida State University.
He has held the head coach position at four NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision programs: Western Kentucky as from 2009 to 2012 seasons; South Florida as from 2013 to 2016 seasons; Oregon in 2017 season); and Florida State 2018 season and part of the 2019 season — through November 3, 2019. At all four schools, he served as the first African-American to be hired as the head coach.
Willie Taggart Age
Willie is 44 years old as of 2020. He was born in Bradenton, FL, on August 27, 1976. He celebrates his birthday on August 27th every year.
Willie Taggart Height and Weight
Willie is a man of average stature. He stands at a height of 6 feet 2 inches tall. He also weighs relatively a mass of 77 kgs.
Willie Taggart Family and Siblings
He was born to his mother Gloria James an Associate for Immigration and Documentation Program at Mennonite Central Committee and father John Taggart. He was raised along with his siblings Cynthia Taggart, Charlene Taggart, Eddie Butler.
Willie Taggart Wife and Married
Willie is a married man, he is married to Taneshia Renee Taggart since June 5th, 1999. The pair is proud of three amazing and gorgeous children; sons Willie Jr. and Jackson and their little princess Morgan born on July 15, 2015.
Willie Taggart Contract
The New Florida Atlantic head coach Willie Taggart signed a five-year contract with a guaranteed annualized base salary worth $750,000, his memorandum of understanding with FAU states which the South Florida Sun-Sentinel learned per public record request. According to the memorandum, he will earn a $25,000 annual retention bonus starting in January 2021 and on each Jan. 15 after. He will also earn a $20,000 bonus for getting the Owls to the C-USA Championship Game or $40,000 for winning the conference title
He receives one of these bowl-game related bonuses depending on how the Owls’ finish their season:
- $30,000 for a bowl game appearance
- $100,000 for a New Year’s Six bowl game appearance
- $250,000 leading FAU to the college football playoffs
- $350,000 for leading FAU to a championship game appearance
- $500,000 if FAU wins the national title
He will also earn a $50,000 bonus for finishing in the Top-25 or $100,000 if FAU finishes in the Top-10. He will also earn a $15,000 bonus for earning C-USA Coach of the Year honors or a $50,000 bonus for earning National Coach of the Year honors.
Willie Taggart Teams Career
High school
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 helped lead the football team 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
After high school, he became a star quarterback for the Western Kentucky University (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.
He 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. He got was recruited to WKU by Jim Harbaugh to play for his father, Jack Harbaugh.
Willie Taggart Teams Coached
- 2010-Western Kentucky
- 2011-Western Kentucky
- 2012-Western Kentucky
- 2013-South Florida
- 2014-South Florida
- 2015-South Florida
- 2016-South Florida
- 2017-Oregon
- 2018-Florida State
- 2019-Florida State
- 2020-Florida Atlantic
Willie Taggart Coaching Record
Early coaching years
After graduating from WKU in 1998, Taggart stayed on at the school as an assistant through 2006, serving as co-offensive coordinator under Jack Harbaugh on the Hilltoppers’ 2002 Division I-AA national champions. He as well worked alongside Harbaugh’s son Jim, who had been an unpaid certified assistant coach under his father in the final years of his NFL career.
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 then served in that role for the next two seasons, 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.
Western Kentucky
In 2010, Taggart left his position at Stanford as the running backs coach in order to become the head football coach of his alma mater, Western Kentucky. In their first year under Taggart, the Hilltoppers broke a 26-game losing streak while finishing the season with a record of 2–10.
In 2011, Taggart led WKU to a 7–5 season, where the Hilltoppers lost the first 4 games of the season, but then won 7 of their last 8 games. Although having a winning record, they were not invited to a bowl game that year. In 2012, Taggart led WKU once again 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.
However, Taggart did not coach in this bowl game having already accepted the head coaching position of the South Florida Bulls on December 7, 2012.
South Florida
On December 7, 2012, He took over as head coach at the University of South Florida in his native Tampa Bay area. In his first season, he led the Bulls to a 2–10 season. The following season, Taggart’s team doubled the number of wins and finished with a 4–8 record. 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 two recruiting classes, provided the team with much-needed energy and depth of positions. In 2015, he led by conference leaders quarterback Quinton Flowers and running back Marlon Mack, the Bulls started the season 1–3 before finishing the regular season with a record of 8–5 and earning bowl eligibility for the first time in five years. The Bulls lost to WKU in the Miami Beach Bowl.
In 2016, the Bulls went 10–2 and won a share of the AAC East division. This was the Bull’s first double-digit win season in school history.
Oregon
On December 7th, 2016, the University of Oregon announced Taggart as the Ducks’ new head coach, replacing the fired Mark Helfrich. In January 2017, three Oregon football players were hospitalized after grueling military-style workouts. His hiring at Oregon drew attention to the low number of African American head coaches in major college football (14 out of 128 schools). The hiring came several years after Oregon’s passing of House Bill 3118, which requires state-funded schools to interview qualified minority candidates for top coaching and athletic administration positions.
Oregon went 7-5 overall and 4-5 in the Pac-12 in 2017 with Taggart at the reins. The Ducks beat Nebraska, Arizona, and rival Oregon State. They were bested by UCLA, Stanford, and Washington. Additionally, the Ducks lost the Las Vegas Bowl to Boise State on December 16 with Mario Cristobal at the helm after Taggart accepted the position at Florida State.
Florida State
On December 5, 2017, he accepted the head coaching job at Florida State, replacing Jimbo Fisher. In his first season, the Seminoles finished 5-7, their first losing season since 1976, Bobby Bowden’s first year. They were not invited to a bowl for the first time since the end of the 1981 season, breaking the longest active bowl appearance streak in FBS.
Despite the lackluster season, school president John Thrasher and athletic director Dave Coburn voiced confidence in Taggart. According to a story in Bleacher Report, Florida State had bottomed out in 2018 due in part to cultural problems dating from Fisher’s tenure. Additionally, under Fisher’s tenure, the FSU APR was the worst in the FBS, further complicating the rebuilding issues Taggart faced. As a result, he was fired in 2019, which was only his second season.
Willie Taggart Jr
The Florida Atlantic announced that quarterback Willie Taggart Jr. signed with the Owls on Wednesday — meaning he will play for his father, the new FAU coach. Taggart Jr. was the first player to submit his letter to FAU once signing day began Wednesday. He announced his commitment to the Owls last month.
He is a three-star cornerback from Georgia and there are multiple Florida State ties involved. He is a dual-threat player who helped Florida High reach the state Class 3A championship game this past season, after piling up nearly 3,100 combined rushing and passing yards with a total of 30 touchdowns.
Willie Taggart Salary
Taggart will earn $750,000 a yearly salary at FAU, along with a $25,000 annual retention bonus that would be paid starting in 2021. Other perks include membership at the Boca Raton Resort and Club and a car allowance.
Willie Taggart Net Worth
Taggart has not revealed his net worth. He is a simple person and never likes to attract public attention by publicly displaying his wealth. However, this section is under review, we will update you when details about his net worth are revealed.
Frequently Asked Questions About Willie Taggart
Who is Willie Taggart?
He is a well-known American football college coach well known as the head coach at Florida Atlantic University (FAU).
How old is Willie Taggart?
He is an American national born in Bradenton, FL, on August 27, 1976.
How tall is Willie Taggart?
He stands at a height of 6 feet 2 inches tall.
Is Willie Taggart married?
Yes, he is married to Taneshia Renee Taggart since June 5th, 1999. The pair is proud of three amazing and gorgeous children; sons Willie Jr. and Jackson and their little princess Morgan born on July 15, 2015.
How much is Willie Taggart worth?
He has not yet revealed his net worth. We will update this section when we get and verify information about the wealth and properties under his name.
How much does Willie Taggart make?
He will earn $750,000 a yearly salary at FAU, along with a $25,000 annual retention bonus that would be paid starting in 2021.
Where does Willie Taggart live?
Because of security reasons, he has not shared his precise location of residence. We will immediately update this information if we get the location and images of his house.
Is Willie Taggart dead or alive?
He is alive and in good health. There have been no reports of him being sick or having any health-related issues.
Where is Willie Taggart Now?
He is still an active American football college coach well known as the head coach at Florida Atlantic University (FAU).
Willie Taggart Twitter
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