Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Winning team
Two Dolphins greats join St. Thomas High coaching staff.
The St. Thomas Aquinas football team is adding two Miami Dolphins greats to its coaching staff.
Pro Football Hall of Fame-elect Jason Taylor and four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Sam Madison are joining the Raiders as assistants under coach Roger Harriott. Taylor will serve as the defensive line coach, while Madison will coach defensive backs for the storied program, which has won three consecutive state titles.
Taylor and Madison both have sons who will be freshmen at St. Thomas in the fall.
“Their kids are coming to our place and they said, ‘Can we help you?’” said George Smith, St. Thomas Aquinas’ athletic director. “They’re great guys.
“They’re good coaches and that’s what we’re looking for.”
Both Taylor and Madison were selected by the Dolphins in the 1997 NFL draft and spent the next nine seasons in Miami, helping form the backbone of one of the league’s strongest defenses.
The two also have a coaching history together, having led the Davie Broncos in the American Youth Football League. Taylor and Madison coached Davie to a championship in the 105-pound division in 2012.
The ex-Dolphins join a St. Thomas Aquinas program that has dominated prep
football over the years. The school has won nine state championships and is coming off of a 45-6 Class 7A championship win over Tampa Plant this past fall. The Raiders finished the season 13-2 and ranked sixth in the nation by MaxPreps.
Taylor, 42, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year and will be enshrined Aug. 5 in Canton, Ohio.
He had 131 sacks in his 13 seasons with the Dolphins and also played a season each with the New York Jets and Washington Redskins. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and won NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2006.
A second-round draft pick out of Louisville, Madison, 42, spent nine seasons with the Dolphins. He later spent three seasons with the New York Giants, where he was part of the team’s Super Bowl roster in the 2007-08 season. Madison finished his career with 38 interceptions.
In another staff change for St. Thomas, Ryan Schneider is out as offensive coordinator after two years with the program. Former University of Miami quarterback Ryan Collins will take over that role. Collins, who played for the Hurricanes from 1992-95, spent the past four seasons as an assistant at Flanagan. He was previously part of Harriott’s coaching staff at University School.
After being named St. Thomas Aquinas coach in 2015, Harriott immediately hired Schneider to run St. Thomas’ offense. A former standout quarterback at Plantation High and UCF, Schneider served as Harriott’s OC at University School.