Willie Taggart is an experienced coach who has spent plenty of time coaching in the NFL and in college. He is currently an assistant head coach and running backs coach for the Baltimore Ravens. Before he coached in the NFL, Taggart had several head coaching opportunities in college. From 2013 to 2016, he was the coach at South Florida.
During his time in South Florida, he was involved in a surprising crossover between USF and Wrestlemania superstar Hulk Hogan. In a video posted to the USF Athletics YouTube channel, Taggart can be seen holding a Wrestlemania championship belt while Hogan gives a dramatic speech.
“Yo maniacs, Hulk Hogan here and Magnus, one of the greatest wrestlers of all time,” Hogan said (0:00). “Without a doubt, we got Coach T in the Tampa Bay area, coaching the USF Bulls and I want everyone to know we got a championship town, we got a championship school, we got a championship coach, and now we’re gonna have a championship team this year. Number one. So, what you gonna do when Coach T and the USF Bulls run wild on you brother?”
Taggart then responded with a quick two-word response to finish the video.
“Do something,” Taggart said while deepening his voice for dramatic effect.
Later, Taggart would shout at the crowd as part of the event.
“What are you gonna do when the Hulkmania and Bullmania goes wild on you, baby?”
This video was posted a few months after Taggart was announced as the team’s next head coach but before the start of his first season. While Hogan predicted that the Bulls would have a championship team, the 2013 season was far from that. Rather than going on a championship run, the team finished with a 2-10 record.
Willie Taggart Helped Turn the USF Bulls Quickly During His Four-Year Tenure
While Willie Taggart was not able to get the Bulls into championship contention in his first season in 2013, he was able to turn the team around quickly. Following a 2-10 season in 2013, the team improved to 4-8 in 2014. Then in 2015, the team achieved a winning 8-5 record. This was the team’s first winning season since 2010.
Taggart went on to coach the team for only one more season, but it was the best in the program’s history. In 2016, Taggart led the Bulls to an 11-2 record and a division championship. They were co-champions of the American East Division and won the Birmingham Bowl.
Following his tenure at South Florida, Willie Taggart went on to take head coaching jobs at Oregon, Florida State and Florida Atlantic. After leaving Florida Atlantic in 2022, he got his first NFL job with the Baltimore Ravens.
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