Willie Taggart

Pioneering Football coach Willie Taggart is the head coach of Florida Atlantic University. He previously served as the head coach of four different NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision teams, including Western Kentucky (2009 to 2012), South Florida (2013 to 2016), Oregon (2017 season), and Florida State (2018 season and part of 2019 season—through November 3, 2019). He was the first African-American to be appointed head coach at any of the four colleges.

After graduating from high school, Taggart played quarterback for the Western Kentucky University (WKU) Hilltoppers from 1995 to 1998. He was one of just three players in the school’s history to start at the position for four consecutive seasons, and he was one of only four Hilltoppers to have their jerseys retired. He was a finalist for the coveted Walter Payton Award, which is given yearly to the best offensive player in I-AA football, in each of his final two collegiate seasons. In 1997, Taggart came in at number four, and as a senior the following year, he came in at number seven. He was the 1998 I-AA Independents’ Offensive Player of the Year and an All-American as a senior. Jim Harbaugh enlisted Taggart to play for his father, Jack Harbaugh, at WKU.

In November 2019, midway through the season, Taggart was dismissed from Florida State after a 4-5 start to the year. On December 11, 2019, FAU announced the appointment of Taggart as the school’s new head coach. In the 5-year agreement, Taggart would receive $750,000 per year.