Faith in football: How Sacramento State coach Troy Taylor rose from a bad pass to stardom
Troy Taylor was the guest of honor at a recent Rotary Club function. It was in the Greek Orthodox Church in Sacramento, a spacious room full of kind and curious people young, old and even older, and they were captivated.
Taylor was invited to talk about his football journey as a hometown product who worked wonders at each of his stops, landing at Sacramento State as head coach before the 2019 season. He worked the room like a salesman working his beat. He offered candid stories of his carpenter father. He talked about work ethic and how football coaching isn’t a job as much as it is a passion. He spoke of what the sport means to him and what it can do for young men. He talked of how he learned to live with a game loss now as compared to how it used to make him physically ill for weeks, so painful it was, “like losing a body part.”
Taylor decided it’s better to win. You live longer that way. Taylor, standing not too far from a Rotary sign that read, “Service Above Self,” discussed how his Hornets players have played hard, have represented their school and city, and how they have earned their degrees.
He then asked the full room for a show of hands. How many have attended a Sac State game? Five hands shot up, including mine and his high school coach, Max Miller, sitting next to me. Five. Not nearly good enough. Five is about as many Cordova High School coaches who vehemently urged Miller to yank this lanky lad named Taylor after the first pass of his senior season.
This was in 1985. Taylor, in the season opener, faced a Bella Vista Broncos defense that included some familiar faces. He was a Bella Vista student-athlete before switching to Cordova in the middle of his junior year, a plan orchestrated by his father, Bob, to get his son into the best football program in the region, to showcase his skills, to get on the college recruiting radar.
Taylor was a promising passer trying to fit into a run-heavy offense at Cordova. His first pass attempt was intercepted. You would have thought the Cordova staff had learned how they missed the Mega Millions draw by a single digit.
“My first game, after the whole family moved, my first play, I threw an interception, and I had worked really hard all offseason,” Taylor told the Rotary gathering. “Coaches were immediately in Max’s ear to have me pulled. I was 17 years old. I stood behind Max, who didn’t look at me, and I’ll never forget it. I still get chills — ‘Troy’s our quarterback.’”
We’re not sure, but Taylor might not have thrown another pick all season. He seemed to make all the plays. He elevated a good team into a truly great one. He revolutionized the position locally by becoming the first pass/run threat for a powerhouse. He stormed through defenders for 3,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing — unheard of numbers in an era of 3 yards and a cloud of cleats.
Cordova went 14-0. Taylor earned all sorts of player of the year honors. He started four years at quarterback at Cal, setting a bounty of records. He had a cup of coffee in the NFL with the New York Jets, then got into coaching.
Taylor’s lesson here was that players deserve a chance more than a hook, especially if they’ve worked for it. And this: A coach’s belief in a player can make or break that player, or make and break that team and season. It’s no wonder Taylor parlayed this line of thinking into a storied run at Folsom High as coach, winning state championships when it once was a chore to win back-to-back games, and at Sacramento State, where in his first two non-COVID-19 seasons he won two Big Sky Conference championships to go with two coach of the year honors.
Miller, as jovial as he’s ever been even in his 80s, beamed listening to Taylor. This was his guy then and this is his guy now.
“People still think I recruited Troy to come to Cordova, but I didn’t even know who he was, “ Miller said. “Didn’t take long to see he was unique. He won every wind sprint, and we had fast guys. First one to practice, last to leave. Just a great player and leader, and he’s been a great coach for a long time now, too. I’m so impressed, so proud of him.”
Said Taylor at the Rotary, “Max was one of the most impactful people in my life. I knew by the time I was 7 that I wanted to play football and coach it. My life changed when he stuck with me.”
The thing about people at a Rotary Club event is they don’t pull punches. They’ve lived long enough to wade through the fluff. They want answers. So Taylor was asked if he’d leave for Cal, his alma mater, should the Bears need a coach. He hasn’t thought about it, adding, “I hope to be here a long time. I’m not a guy to look around. I want a quality of life and to lead Sac State to success. I love where I am. I’m proud to be at Sac State. This is home. We knew we could get kids here. We’ve gotten most every kid we wanted locally. I knew we could give kids a reason to come here.”
As for more fan support, Taylor quipped. “I’m doing my part, right?” and the room burst into laughter. Taylor said the Hornets have players worth a peek. He’s right. This is not a dull product. The star power includes running back Cameron Skattebo and quarterbacks Jake Dunniway and Asher O’Hara. How do two quarterbacks make it work? Mutual love for the game and mutual admiration and respect for each other. And belief from their coach that two QBs can make for another title contender this season.
Sacramento State’s roster also includes preseason All-Americans in tight end Marshel Martin, receiver Pierre Williams and linebacker Marte Mapu.
Taylor also stressed how love can bind a team and how discord can tear it apart. He said he loves football and he loves guys who love football more than being recruited. Love is the way, he said. So is faith. Miller showed it in him all those years ago, and Taylor never looked back.