Topper Talk

Round 11 / Pick 341

Gavin Perry / Western Kentucky

🔴⚪️ ➡️

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Willie Taggart
Western Kentucky (1995-1998)
📍 Manatee High School (Bradenton, FL)

Before Willie Taggart became a familiar face on college sidelines, he was rewriting the record books as one of the most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks in Division I-AA football.

Recruited by legendary coach Jack Harbaugh, Taggart quickly emerged as the face of Western Kentucky football. His ability to make plays with both his arm and his legs made him one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in Division I-AA and one of the greatest players in Hilltopper history.

📊 3,997 career rushing yards, the most by a quarterback in NCAA Division I history at the time
📊 47 career rushing touchdowns, a Western Kentucky record
📊 30 career passing touchdowns
📊 6,664 career yards of total offense
📊 Led Western Kentucky in both passing and rushing during his final two seasons

Every snap gave Taggart two ways to make a defense pay.

🏈 Led the Hilltoppers to the NCAA Division I-AA Playoff Quarterfinals in 1997
⚡ Finished his career as the NCAA Division I record holder for rushing yards by a quarterback
💪 Left Western Kentucky as one of the most accomplished players in program history

Accolades:
🏆 NCAA Division I-AA All-American (1998)
🏆 I-AA Independents' Offensive Player of the Year (1998)
🏆 Two-time Walter Payton Award finalist (1997, 1998)
🏆 Western Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame
🏆 Western Kentucky All-Century Team
🏆 Retired No. 1 jersey at Western Kentucky

Taggart's impact reached far beyond the record book. A two-time Walter Payton Award finalist and First-Team All-American, he helped establish Western Kentucky as one of Division I-AA's premier programs while laying the foundation for the Hilltoppers' 2002 national championship team. Long before he was mentoring quarterbacks from the sideline, he was setting the standard for them on the field.

➡️ Taggart was not selected in the 1999 NFL Draft and briefly pursued a professional playing career before transitioning into coaching.

🏈 Taggart went on to become one of college football's most recognizable coaches, leading Western Kentucky, South Florida, Oregon, Florida State, and Florida Atlantic before joining NFL coaching staffs with the Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants.

📋 Taggart's coaching journey came full circle when he returned to Western Kentucky as an assistant on the Hilltoppers' 2002 NCAA Division I-AA National Championship staff, helping mentor the team that captured the first national title in program history.

Many fans know Willie Taggart as a coach. Western Kentucky fans remember him as one of the greatest quarterbacks in school history.

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