Stanford football fires Troy Taylor a week after ESPN report on conduct investigations
Stanford fired football coach Troy Taylor, less than a week after ESPN reported two third-party investigations into his conduct toward female athletic department staffers. The decision on Tuesday was announced by Cardinal football’s General Manager Andrew Luck.
A Sacramento native who led Sacramento State football to its best seasons in the 70-year history of the program as head coach, Taylor went 6-18 in his two seasons leading the Cardinal.
In his statement to the media, Luck wrote: “After continued consideration, it is evident to me that our program needs a reset. In consultation with university leadership, I no longer believe that Coach Taylor is the right coach to lead our football program. Coach Taylor has been informed today and the change is effective immediately.”
Stanford starts spring football drills April 4, a week from Friday.
Current and former Stanford athletic staffers were interviewed in separate investigations about allegations of Taylor bullying employees, a story ESPN reported when it obtained documents of the investigation.
Taylor signed paperwork with the school, agreeing that he would be terminated if there were any more concerns over behavior. In his statement last week, Taylor said, “I willingly complied with the investigations, accepted the recommendations that came out of them, and used them as a learning opportunity to grow in leadership and how I interact with others. I look forward to continuing to work collaboratively and collegially with my colleagues so that we can achieve success for our football program together.”
Taylor, 56, was The Bee’s Player of the Year in 1985 when he quarterbacked Cordova High School to a 14-0 season. He started four years at Cal, where he set passing records, and he played a bit in the NFL before getting into coaching. As co-head coach with Kris Richardson, Taylor elevated Folsom High School into a regional powerhouse.
He was the offensive coordinator for the Utah Utes for two seasons before taking over the Sacramento State program before the 2019 season, leading the Hornets to three Big Sky Conference championships.
This story was originally published March 25, 2025 at 11:02 AM.