D-1 Football’s Only Native American Head Coach Preps for First Season

Though the Western Michigan University Broncos had a winning record (37-32) over the last six years under head coach Tim Lester, the team fell short of its goal to win the Mid-American Conference. The Division 1 football team fell out of contention the final week some seasons.

“The results on the field didn’t reflect the investment in performance,” said athletic director Dan Bartholomae.

It was clear that a change needed to be made. Enter new coach Lance Taylor, who Bartholomae hired Dec. 7.

WMU Coach Lance Taylor addresses his teamAccording to Bartholomae, Taylor had the best football pedigree of any candidate he interviewed. Taylor walked on to the team at the University of Alabama as a wide receiver and rose to captain. After a stint in the Arena League, he embarked on a coaching career, taking roles as an assistant at Alabama, Stanford, and Notre Dame, where he worked under Nick Saban, David Shaw, and Brian Kelly. He has had stints coaching in the NFL as well, with the New York Jets and the Carolina Panthers. Most recently, he served as the offensive coordinator and receivers coach at the University of Louisville, where he led an attack that ranked second in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

But there’s something else about Taylor’s background that makes him unique. As a member of the MOWA Band of the Choctaw tribe, he is the only current Division I head football coach with a Native American background.

Bartholomae embraces the diversity, but the athletic director is quick to note that Taylor was hired because he was the best candidate, not because of his ethnic background. “The fact that we have an ethnicity represented that’s not anywhere in D-1 is something we take pride in,” said Bartholomae.