The CFP Committee which has chosen the four-team playoff in FBS football since 2014, has named former Hampton Pirates head coach Joe Taylor to a three-year term.
Adding Taylor is a pretty big deal for a committee that hasn’t shown much diversity since its inception. Hasn’t been much consideration for coaches or administrators who didn’t have ties to the “Autonomy Five.”
Former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman and Pro Football Hall of Famer Will Shields, who also won the Outland Trophy while at Nebraska, was added to the committee as well. Shields, a living modern miracle, played his entire professional career for the Chiefs, and never missed a game in 14 seasons.
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The 6-foot-3, 315-pound immovable object, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
Both men will join the Management Committee beginning this Spring.
Taylor has built a remarkable 41-year career in coaching, with 30 years coming as a head coach. Taylor is currently the VP for Intercollegiate Athletics and Community Wellness at Virginia Union in Richmond VA, where he’s worked since 2013.
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During his tenure at VUU, the school has captured 15 divisional, conference and regional championships, while also honoring over 500 student-athletes for a GPA over 3.0.
As a head coach, his teams won five black national championships, ten conference titles and made ten playoff appearances.
Taylor was a legend in college football, who posted a lifetime win-loss record of (233-96-4) and he ranks third in career victories in HBCU history. He was inducted into the College Football Hall Of Fame in 2019 and the Black College Hall Of Fame in 2020. Taylor also served as president of the American Football Coaches Association.
Prior to taking over as athletic director at Virginia Union, Taylor served as head football coach at Howard University in 1983, Virginia Union from 1984-1991, Hampton University from 1992-2007, and Florida A&M from 2008-2012. Hampton is where Taylor really made his mark and became a legend as he led the Pirates to five black college national championships (1994, 1995, 2004, 2005, and 2006) and eight conference titles.
Taylor is a native of Washington D.C. and attended H.D. Woodson High School, where he also began his coaching career. He attended Western Illinois where he played offensive guard for the Leathernecks.
