Trooper Taylor
Encyclopedia
Trooper Taylor is an American
college football
assistant coach at Auburn University
, serving as assistant head coach and wide receivers coach
under head coach Gene Chizik
. Prior to joining Auburn, Taylor served as co-offensive coordinator
for Oklahoma State
. He has spent over a decade coaching wide receivers, primarily in the Southeastern
and Big 12
conferences.
and was raised in a family of 16. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Baylor University
in 1992 and is married to Evi Crosby-Taylor, who was a track and field scholarship athlete at Baylor. The couple were wed in 1993 on the field at Baylor's Floyd Casey Stadium
and have two children: a son, Blaise,who is 15, and a daughter, Starr, who is 13.
for the Baylor Bears
from 1988–91 and finished his playing career as the school’s leader in kickoff returns and return yardage. After helping the Bears to the 1991 Copper Bowl
and completing his degree, Taylor joined the coaching staff at his alma mater as a graduate assistant
for two years before being named wide receivers coach
in 1994. After coaching the secondary for two years, Taylor returned to coaching receivers before leaving Baylor to take the position coaching running backs at New Mexico.
In 1999, head coach Chris Scelfo
lured Taylor to his staff at Tulane as the wide receivers coach. Taylor spent five years with the Green Wave
before joining Philip Fulmer's staff at Tennessee
. Taylor served as running backs coach before being promoted to assistant head coach of player development in 2005, which called on him to manage the academic and social direction and development of student-athletes in conjunction with their position coaches and the coordinators. In 2006, Taylor coached the wide receivers, helping the Vols to a 12th ranked pass offense. Following the 2007 season when offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe
took the head coaching position at Duke (taking the OL and RB coaches with him), Taylor was considered a candidate to take over the position full time. Fulmer instead chose Dave Clawson and Taylor left UT to take a job as co-offensive coordinator
and wide receivers coach at Oklahoma State under Mike Gundy
, with whom he had previously coached at Baylor in 1996. With the help of Taylor's receivers, the 2008 Cowboys
ranked 6th in the nation in offensive production.
On January 5, 2009, new head coach Gene Chizik
hired Taylor to serve as assistant head coach and wide receivers coach
at Auburn. He was recruited to make the move to the Tigers
by fellow Oklahoma State staff member Curtis Luper
who also moved to Auburn as the running backs coach.
Coach Taylor has been recognized as a top-25 national recruiter on five occasions (2005 and 2007 by Rivals.com
, 2009 by ESPN
, 2010 by Rivals.com and 2011 by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals.com). He has experience coaching in 8 bowl games including the 1994 Alamo Bowl
, 2002 Hawaii Bowl
, 2005 Cotton Bowl Classic
, 2007 Outback Bowl
, 2008 Outback Bowl
, 2008 Holiday Bowl
, 2010 Outback Bowl
, and the 2011 BCS National Championship Game
.
of the Washington Redskins
. He also coached the nation's top receiving trio in 2001: Adrian Burnette, Kerwin Cook and Terrell Harris, who combined to lead the country with 2,384 receiving yards on 185 catches.
During his time in Knoxville, he mentored NFL backs Cedric Houston
and Gerald Riggs Jr., who became Tennessee’s only pair of 1,000-yard rushers in the same season in 2004. He also coached future NFL wide receiver Robert Meachem
to All-America
honors in 2006. Meachem was part of a trio of Vols receivers including Jayson Swain and Bret Smith that caught a combined 159 receptions for 2,439 yards and 22 touchdowns. With all three players gone in 2007, Taylor mentored the new pass-catching trio of Lucas Taylor, Austin Rogers and Josh Briscoe to a combined 175 catches for 2,130 yards and 14 touchdowns.
In 2008, Taylor coached Oklahoma State's All-America
n receiver Dez Bryant
into the 3rd leading receiver in the nation with catches totaling nearly 114 yards per game. Bryant was part of a potent Cowboys attack that ended ranked as the nation's 6th leading offense.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
assistant coach at Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
, serving as assistant head coach and wide receivers coach
Wide receivers coach
A wide receivers coach is a coach in charge of the wide receivers in gridiron football. The wide receivers coach typically operates under a team's offensive coordinator. This coach also typically resides in the coach's box on gameday, often accompanied by or in place of the offensive coordinator....
under head coach Gene Chizik
Gene Chizik
Eugene "Gene" Chizik is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of the Auburn University football team, a position he has held since the 2009 season. Chizik's 2010 Auburn Tigers football team completed a 14–0 season with a victory over Oregon in the BCS...
. Prior to joining Auburn, Taylor served as co-offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
for Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State Cowboys football
The Oklahoma State Cowboys football program represents Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in college football. The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference and completes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Cowboys are led by Mike Gundy, who is in his seventh year as...
. He has spent over a decade coaching wide receivers, primarily in the Southeastern
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
and Big 12
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
conferences.
Personal life
Taylor grew up in Cuero, TexasCuero, Texas
Cuero is a city in DeWitt County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,571 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of DeWitt County. It is also unofficially known as the "turkey capital of the world"...
and was raised in a family of 16. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
in 1992 and is married to Evi Crosby-Taylor, who was a track and field scholarship athlete at Baylor. The couple were wed in 1993 on the field at Baylor's Floyd Casey Stadium
Floyd Casey Stadium
Floyd Casey Stadium is a stadium in Waco, Texas. It is primarily used for football, and is the home field of the Baylor Bears. Floyd Casey Stadium is about four miles from the Baylor campus. Floyd Casey Stadium was built in 1950 and cost $1.8 million dollars to construct...
and have two children: a son, Blaise,who is 15, and a daughter, Starr, who is 13.
Career
Taylor played defensive backDefensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
for the Baylor Bears
Baylor Bears football
The Baylor Bears football team represents Baylor University in Division I FBS college football. They are a member of the Big 12 Conference. The team plays its home games at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco, Texas.-History:...
from 1988–91 and finished his playing career as the school’s leader in kickoff returns and return yardage. After helping the Bears to the 1991 Copper Bowl
1991 Copper Bowl
The 1991 edition to the Copper Bowl featured the Indiana Hoosiers and the .In the first quarter, Indiana quarterback Trent Green scored on a 1 yard touchdown run making it 7-0 Indiana. In the second quarter, Indiana got a 27 yard field goal from Bonnell making the lead 10-0. Vaughn Dunbar scored on...
and completing his degree, Taylor joined the coaching staff at his alma mater as a graduate assistant
Graduate assistant
A graduate assistant is a position who serves in a support role at a university, usually while completing post-graduate education. The individual typically assists professors or with instructional responsibilities as teaching assistants, coaches with an athletic team, or university department...
for two years before being named wide receivers coach
Wide receivers coach
A wide receivers coach is a coach in charge of the wide receivers in gridiron football. The wide receivers coach typically operates under a team's offensive coordinator. This coach also typically resides in the coach's box on gameday, often accompanied by or in place of the offensive coordinator....
in 1994. After coaching the secondary for two years, Taylor returned to coaching receivers before leaving Baylor to take the position coaching running backs at New Mexico.
In 1999, head coach Chris Scelfo
Chris Scelfo
Chris Scelfo is an American football coach, currently serving as the tight ends coach for the Atlanta Falcons. He served as head coach at Tulane from 1998 to 2006, including in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and amassed a 37–57 record. Scelfo is the only Tulane head coach to have won two...
lured Taylor to his staff at Tulane as the wide receivers coach. Taylor spent five years with the Green Wave
Tulane Green Wave football
The Tulane Green Wave football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents Tulane University in New Orleans. The team is a member of Conference USA and is led by interim head coach Mark Hutson, who took over on October 18, 2011, when fifth-year head coach Bob Toledo resigned...
before joining Philip Fulmer's staff at Tennessee
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
. Taylor served as running backs coach before being promoted to assistant head coach of player development in 2005, which called on him to manage the academic and social direction and development of student-athletes in conjunction with their position coaches and the coordinators. In 2006, Taylor coached the wide receivers, helping the Vols to a 12th ranked pass offense. Following the 2007 season when offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe
David Cutcliffe
David Cutcliffe is the head football coach of the Duke University Blue Devils. He is best known for coaching Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning at the University of Tennessee, and Manning's younger brother and fellow Super Bowl Champion Eli at the University of Mississippi...
took the head coaching position at Duke (taking the OL and RB coaches with him), Taylor was considered a candidate to take over the position full time. Fulmer instead chose Dave Clawson and Taylor left UT to take a job as co-offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
and wide receivers coach at Oklahoma State under Mike Gundy
Mike Gundy
Mike Gundy is an American football coach and former player He is currently the head football coach at Oklahoma State University–Stillwater. Gundy played college football Oklahoma State, where he was the Cowboys quarterback from 1986 to 1989. Gundy became Oklahoma State's coach on January 3, 2005...
, with whom he had previously coached at Baylor in 1996. With the help of Taylor's receivers, the 2008 Cowboys
2008 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team
The 2008 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team represents Oklahoma State University for the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision intercollegiate football season of 2008-2009.-Schedule:Source:-Washington State:-Houston:...
ranked 6th in the nation in offensive production.
On January 5, 2009, new head coach Gene Chizik
Gene Chizik
Eugene "Gene" Chizik is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of the Auburn University football team, a position he has held since the 2009 season. Chizik's 2010 Auburn Tigers football team completed a 14–0 season with a victory over Oregon in the BCS...
hired Taylor to serve as assistant head coach and wide receivers coach
Wide receivers coach
A wide receivers coach is a coach in charge of the wide receivers in gridiron football. The wide receivers coach typically operates under a team's offensive coordinator. This coach also typically resides in the coach's box on gameday, often accompanied by or in place of the offensive coordinator....
at Auburn. He was recruited to make the move to the Tigers
Auburn Tigers football
Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the...
by fellow Oklahoma State staff member Curtis Luper
Curtis Luper
Curtis Scott Luper is an American college football assistant coach at Auburn University, serving as running backs coach and recruiting coordinator under head coach Gene Chizik...
who also moved to Auburn as the running backs coach.
Coach Taylor has been recognized as a top-25 national recruiter on five occasions (2005 and 2007 by Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
, 2009 by ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, 2010 by Rivals.com and 2011 by 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals.com). He has experience coaching in 8 bowl games including the 1994 Alamo Bowl
1994 Alamo Bowl
The 1994 edition to the Alamo Bowl featured the , and the .Washington State had the nation's second ranked defense, and they held Baylor to 151 yards of total offense. Washington State scored in the 1st quarter, on a one yard touchdown run from halfback Kevin Hicks to take a 7-0 lead...
, 2002 Hawaii Bowl
2002 Hawaii Bowl
The 2002 ConAgra Foods Hawaii Bowl was the inaugural Hawaii Bowl game and matched the hometown Hawaii Warriors with the Tulane Green Wave. Hawaii came into the game 10-2 and Tulane came into the game 6-5....
, 2005 Cotton Bowl Classic
2005 Cotton Bowl Classic
The 2005 Cotton Bowl Classic was a post-season college football bowl game between the and the Texas A&M Aggies on January 1, 2005, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. It was the final game of the 2004 NCAA Division I FBS football season for each team and resulted in a 38-7 Tennessee victory...
, 2007 Outback Bowl
2007 Outback Bowl
The 2007 Outback Bowl Game was a college football bowl game sponsored by Outback Steakhouse. It was part of the 2006–2007 bowl game season that concluded the 2006 NCAA Division I-BS football season. The Outback Bowl has been played annually since 1986...
, 2008 Outback Bowl
2008 Outback Bowl
The 2008 Outback Bowl, part of the 2007-08 NCAA football bowl games season, was played on January 1, 2008 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida....
, 2008 Holiday Bowl
2008 Holiday Bowl
The 2008 Pacific Life Holiday Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 30, 2008 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Oregon Ducks, and was part of the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season and one of the games in the 2008-2009...
, 2010 Outback Bowl
2010 Outback Bowl
The 2010 Outback Bowl was the 24th edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The game started at 11 AM US EST on Friday, January 1, 2010. The game was telecast on ESPN and matched Auburn University against Northwestern University...
, and the 2011 BCS National Championship Game
2011 BCS National Championship Game
The 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game was the final college football game to determine the national champion of the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision season. The finale of the 2010-2011 Bowl Championship Series was played at the University of Phoenix Stadium, the host...
.
Players coached
Taylor has served as position coach for a number of prominent players over his career. At Tulane, he coached four wideouts into the NFL, including Roydell WilliamsRoydell Williams
Roydell Williams is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tulane....
of the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. He also coached the nation's top receiving trio in 2001: Adrian Burnette, Kerwin Cook and Terrell Harris, who combined to lead the country with 2,384 receiving yards on 185 catches.
During his time in Knoxville, he mentored NFL backs Cedric Houston
Cedric Houston
Cedric Leonard Houston is a former American football running back of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee.-Early years:...
and Gerald Riggs Jr., who became Tennessee’s only pair of 1,000-yard rushers in the same season in 2004. He also coached future NFL wide receiver Robert Meachem
Robert Meachem
Robert Meachem is an American football wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Saints 27th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee....
to All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honors in 2006. Meachem was part of a trio of Vols receivers including Jayson Swain and Bret Smith that caught a combined 159 receptions for 2,439 yards and 22 touchdowns. With all three players gone in 2007, Taylor mentored the new pass-catching trio of Lucas Taylor, Austin Rogers and Josh Briscoe to a combined 175 catches for 2,130 yards and 14 touchdowns.
In 2008, Taylor coached Oklahoma State's All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n receiver Dez Bryant
Dez Bryant
- 2010 - Rookie Season :Bryant was signed by the Cowboys to a contract very similar to that of Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin on July 22, 2010. On July 23, 2010, it was announced that Bryant will wear number 88, the same as Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, and Cowboys legend Drew Pearson...
into the 3rd leading receiver in the nation with catches totaling nearly 114 yards per game. Bryant was part of a potent Cowboys attack that ended ranked as the nation's 6th leading offense.