Willie Taggart connecting youth, high school coaches to prepare players

PALMETTO – Before quarterbacking the Manatee High football team to a state championship in 1992, the fourth of five in the legendary career of Hurricane head coach Joe Kinnan, Willie Taggart starred on the youth fields of Palmetto.

The town’s favorite son went on to a standout playing career at Western Kentucky University, followed by head coaching jobs at his alma mater, South Florida, Oregon, Florida State, and Florida Atlantic.

But Taggart never forgot his Palmetto roots, and the current running backs coach for the New York Giants displayed that loyalty by sponsoring a two-day youth football event in his old back yard.

The first was the 941 Youth Football Coaching Clinic held Friday, March 27 at the Palmetto Marriott Resort & Spa. That was followed up on Saturday morning, March 28, by the 941 Youth Legends Combine featuring Taggart along with former area stars Peter Warrick, Tyrone Williams, Shevin Wiggins, Marlon Mack, Fabian Washington, and Forrest Lamp as well as Baltimore Ravens wide receiver/kick returner LaJohntay Wester.

Friday night’s event, which had Kinnan and former Hurricanes star Tommie Frazier as its keynote speakers, targeted the youth coaches in attendance. Saturday’s brought the ex-players together with young players, but to Taggart, both served in advancing youth football in the area.

“I want this to be a yearly thing,” the 49-year-old Taggart said. “Something we can look forward to every year. We got so many passionate football players and coaches around here. I just think this could be a really good deal for our entire community.”

Taggart’s goal is to connect youth football to its high school big brother. Among the speakers Friday night were head coaches John Peacock (Venice), Eric Sanders (Palmetto), Jacquez Green (Manatee), Ace Sanders (Bayshore), and Carlos Woods (Booker), along with former Tornado head coach Baraka Atkins. Each was given 20 minutes to address a particular football concept.

The title of Green’s talk was “Modern Offense Made Simple: Inside Zone, Tags & RPOs Explained.” Peacock’s was “Run It Like A Pro: Building High-Impact Practices That Win.”

“Really (Willie’s) trying to reach out to the youth programs in the area and the young kids,” Green said. “He just wants to make sure that the youth are in good hands and they have the right people around them. Showing them how to play ball the right way. He’s trying to help them structure sound practices and stuff like that.”

Said Peacock, “Hopefully set a connection (with the youth coaches) where they can come out to us and get information from us, and maybe we get information from them, who knows? Just create an environment that is better for the players and the kids.”

Though born in Palmetto, Taggart followed Frazier at quarterback at Manatee, winning a state crown in 1992 as a junior and finishing runner-up in 1993. During his two years as a Hurricane, Taggart helped Manatee to 26 victories while losing just four.

He believes it’s critical youth players are exposed to the best possible coaching, and that means youth coaches having the connections with high school coaches to get help anytime they need it.

“Connect the youth and high school,” Taggart said. “If they want to do something, they can call someone, and they already have a relationship with them. ‘I need a drill,’ or, ‘I want to talk to you about a certain defense.’’ But right now, a lot of that is not going on. To me, there’s no reason for it not to be.

“Something the youth can take back with them,” Taggart said. “Peacock talks about how to organize a practice. A lot of guys don’t know how to do that. Things like that help. We’re just trying to help them be better.”

Taggart’s past associations with many of the speakers made it easy for them to accept his invitation. As a college head coach, he recruited Peacock’s Indian players. He was tutored by Frazier before winning the state title the former Nebraska star could not. And after playing under Kinnan, Taggart brought him aboard his South Florida staff as an offensive consultant.

“I worked for him for two years at USF in 2015 and 2016,” the 81-year-old Kinnan said. “They were his two best years as a head coach. We were awfully good.”

The title of Kinnan’s talk was “Evolution of Option Offense And Coaching Philosophy In The 21st Century.” He doubted he’d finish in the allotted 20 minutes.

“I’ve never spoken that short in my life,” Kinnan said.

Frazier flew in from his home in Omaha, Nebraska, to attend the event.

“He didn’t have to ask twice,” said the quarterback who led the Nebraska Cornhuskers to consecutive national titles in 1994 and 1995. In 2013, Frazier was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Even with Taggart learning under his wing, Frazier knew his successor was a good player, along with teammates Shevin Wiggins and Tyrone Williams. “They had the potential to be good football players,” Frazier said. “They won (a state title), we didn’t. We’re proud of them. We’re the ones who got those guys ready.”

Frazier used his 20 minutes to speak about leadership and the role coaches have in it.

“All these guys here are coaches,” he said. “And every good team has strong leadership. And the coaches are their leaders. So if you’re not leading, then your team is not going to be successful. I go around the country and do leadership seminars for corporations, so it all fits into that. Not everyone can be a (natural) leader, but you can grow into being a leader by being able to absorb information.”

Taggart asked, and they responded. He hopes it becomes a yearly ritual.

“Told them my vision and what I wanted for our community,” he said, “and how important all of us have been to this community, and I think it would be cool for us all to get together and really show what it meant to all of us.”

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Willie Taggart hosts football event in Palmetto to benefit coaches, players