IN HIS INTRODUCTORY press conference on Monday morning, new head football coach Troy Taylor pledged that his Stanford teams will be built on "love" rather than "fear."
"A love of Stanford, a love of each other, a love of our coaches, a love of competition, a love of football," said Taylor, who takes the title of Stanford's Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football.
"Our job is to lead with love," he continued. "Love is the most powerful force in the world. You can change the world with love – that human connection, that belief in somebody. We are looking for student-athletes that absolutely love football and love Stanford and are going to love each other."
When Taylor, a four-year starting quarterback at Cal from 1986-89 and three-time team MVP, last took the field in a college game, some of those same values were in evidence, even in the wake of a 24-14 Big Game defeat before 86,000 at Stanford Stadium.
Troy Taylor, 1989 Big Game. Photo by David Madison.
Taylor, who went 0-1-1 in the two games he played against Stanford, threw for 377 yards and a touchdown. However, Taylor couldn't overcome a Stanford defense that took away the run and blitzed him on nearly every play once it became clear that his arm was Cal's only hope.
"Every time I hit him I helped him up," Stanford cornerback Tuan Van Le said after the game. "We had a lot of good conversations. The good thing about Troy was that he never said anything bad. I commend him for his effort."
When a final pass was batted down, ensuring a Stanford victory, Taylor walked off the field confidently. He waved at Stanford students heckling him and stopped to sign autographs for a group of youngsters in wheelchairs beside the stands. Afterward, he paid tribute to his opponents.
"Give them credit," Taylor said. "You've got to remember it's their last game of the season, too. It's a Big Game for them, too."
Such is Taylor's character that reveals itself in moments like these.
Photo by Bob Drebin/ISIphotos.com.
"Some people don't think Stanford is set for the new college football environment and climate," he said Monday. "I would disagree. I think we're perfectly positioned. Do we need to make some adaptations? Absolutely. But we will not lose our dignity and our integrity. And that's what's most important."
There were signs that Taylor was coaching material going back to his quarterback days. In a 1988 San Francisco Examiner story, Taylor said "I used to go to bookstores and read up on defenses. I wouldn't buy the books – I'd just sit and read them, with the bookstore employees stepping over me."
Even during Cal's training camps, Taylor proved to be a little bit different. Between two-a-day sessions, while most teammates were resting up, especially after full-contact practices, Taylor played touch football.
"He loves football," the late Cal coach Bruce Snyder said. "He loves to practice."
Over the years, Taylor has developed his own offensive style – a spread offense that's effective passing and running. Taylor's Sacramento State team averaged 42.9 points and 500 yards per game during a 12-1 season.
Asked to describe his offense, one he has used since his days as a high school coach in the Sacramento area, Taylor grew especially animated.
"Dynamic … Aggressive," he said. "We are not fear-based. We're going to attack. We're not worried about making mistakes.
"Offensive football is about finding space, creating space in different ways. We want to create as much anxiety for our opponent as possible."
Will that be difficult, given that Taylor will create a new offense from returning players and recruits who expected to play a different style?
Not so, Taylor said.
"We've had quarterbacks in the system who were dual-threat quarterbacks and quarterbacks who were pure dropback guys," he said. "We'll be flexible with the athletes we have.
"As a high school coach, you have to adjust to what you have. We've been very adept at doing that, of being able to utilize different people's skills … seeing what they do well, highlight what they do well. The system is flexible enough to utilize all of those different skills."
The Taylor family. Photo by John P. Lozano/ISIphotos.com.
Taylor has invited every player back and will honor the scholarships promised to every commit. Doing things the right way is something Taylor takes pride in, which fits with Stanford's ideals.
"We want to win," he said. "We love to win. How do you do it? The main thing is (the players) knowing that you care about them, that you love them, and give them the tools that they need."
If there's one enduring characteristic of Taylor, one that he's had his entire life, it's competitiveness. When he was 4, Troy had a huge lead on the final lap of a national finals motocross race. As he approached the finish, his 10-year-old sister left her seat and ran down to congratulate him. When he saw her, Troy stopped just short of the line and a competitor whizzed past him. When he realized what happened, Troy threw a tantrum and his father had to pick him up off the track.
Yes, there is a competitive fire, and it's always been there.
"I live in the realm of possibility," Taylor said. "I think anything is possible, by going into every situation knowing that it's going to work and then if it's not working, then we adapt and adjust.
"We've got great people here. We've got the brightest minds in the world – students, faculty, administration. There's no reason why we can't have incredible success here on a sustained basis."
The goals are high.
"We will be champions here," he said. "I don't know when it will happen, but we will be champions and I'm really excited to get started."
Photo by John P. Lozano/ISIphotos.com.