Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Legends embrace Taggart, FSU’s new era
TALLAHASSEE — No figure in Florida State football history may have a closer connection to new coach Willie Taggart than NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks.
Taggart and Brooks, an FSU and Tampa Bay Buccaneers legend, started a friendship that began when Taggart took the USF coaching job in 2013.
And when Taggart was identified as a FSU coaching candidate after former coach Jimbo Fisher left for Texas A&M, FSU president John Thrasher and athletics director Stan Wilcox reached out to Brooks to gain perspective on Taggart’s coaching pedigree.
Five months into Taggart’s tenure, Brooks believes his friend is bringing a level of energy and accountability the Seminoles have lacked in recent years.
“I think right now, it’s the right time for a coach of his personality and dynamic to lead our program,” Brooks said of Taggart.
“I’m excited to see how everybody else is excited about him. I’ve known him longer than any of us alumni, but it’s nice to see how the other alumni receive him.”
Before Florida State’s spring game Saturday, which drew an announced record crowd of 53,974 people, Taggart welcomed more than 300 former Seminole players for a reunion at Doak Campbell Stadium on Friday night.
From the first day of his tenure, Taggart wanted to reunite the former players during the spring game weekend instead of a game weekend in the fall so he could meet with them without the distractions of a game and “share my vision,” he said.
“It was just good to see them all,” Taggart said. “You’ve seen guys from the ’60s, the ’70s, the ’80s, the ’90s and the 2000s. This place is so special. We have so much tradition and so many great players.
“This is their program, and we always want them back. We want them involved.”
One of Taggart’s main messages he gave to the former players: The passion they have for the FSU program should be the same no matter who is coaching the team.
But the former players are enjoying what the new FSU head coach is bringing to the table.
“He’s not making it seem like it’s all about him. It’s a ‘we’ thing,” said former linebacker Fred Jones, whose son is a current defensive tackle on the team.
“Not saying that we never felt like we weren’t appreciated, but when you come and you see a lot of guys you haven’t seen before, and you see people coming back with a different mindset and a different attitude, it’s a good feeling.”
Several players said Friday night’s reunion was the first time they celebrated an organized reunion of sorts with so many former football players.
They also appreciated the chances to connect with the current group of Seminoles.
“It feels surreal having seeing so many legends, guys that played before I was here,” former cornerback Bryant McFadden said.
“Coach Taggart has really embraced the culture of the university, and that’s an extremely extraordinary thing to see. Just to be able to embrace the tradition and history of the program, and for him to carry it on, everybody is really excited about what’s going on.”
Former FSU safety Terrance Brooks, a member of the Seminoles’ most recent national title team, posted on Twitter that he would not trade in the Seminoles’ 2013 championship, but he would love to experience the Taggart era.
Fellow 2013 title team member Cam Erving, an offensive lineman for the Cleveland Browns, echoed the sentiment.
“I wouldn’t take anything back from my experience at Florida State, but to be honest, this is something new, a different feeling,” Erving said.