KALAMAZOO, Mich. — It took eight days for Western Michigan Athletic Director Dan Bartholmae to find his replacement for Tim Lester.
On Friday, he introduced Lance Taylor as their new coach.
The 41-year-old brings a ton of experience to the Broncos coaching staff.
Taylor has coached for some of the biggest names in the sport including with Brian Kelly at Notre Dame, David Shaw at Stanford and Nick Saban at Alabama. His last stop was at Louisville as the offensive coordinator.
Taylor knows all about hard work. He walked on as a football player at Alabama. After a few years in Tuscaloosa, he was named a team captain of the Crimson Tide.
Now, Taylor is a first time head coach. In a one-on-one sit down he told 13 ON YOUR SIDE Sports Director Jamal Spencer that he's ready for the challenge at Western Michigan.
"Really just the way this program has been built - the history, tradition and pride of our program," Taylor said. "I thought there was unwavering support to give us what we need to be successful. Those things excited me about this program. I think we are ready to take the next step. Obviously, a lot of hard work goes into that. We are going to roll up our sleeves and out work our competition."
The hire was also historic for Western Michigan, as Taylor is the only Native American head football coach in Division 1.
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