Steve Taylor

Coach Steve Taylor was born in San Angelo, Texas and graduated from Spur High School in 1972. He attended Angelo State University, where he played football and began his coaching career as a graduate assistant. In 1978, Coach Taylor moved to public school and coached Muleshoe’s offensive line for three years. He then moved to Denver City and spent the next 18 years coaching the Mustangs, serving his last six years there as the head coach and athletic director. In 1999, Coach Taylor became the head football coach and athletic director for the Ozona Lions, and served as Ozona High School’s principal in his sixth year. He moved to Midland Greenwood in 2005 to serve as head football coach and athletic director. He then served as head coach and athletic director in Brownfield for one year before being called back to Denver City from 2011-2017, where he served as head football coach and athletic director once again. Coach Taylor retired in 2017 after 41 years in the teaching and coaching profession.

Coach Taylor, like most coaches, taught his kids more than just football. He wanted them to be humble servants. His players started the football season with an annual community workday. The student athletes worked odd jobs to fill community needs. Each year the team loaded up on the school bus and traveled to the marching band contest to cheer on the band. Each Thursday during the season, the football players would go to the local nursing home and visit with the residents. In December, the team would travel by bus to Hobbs, New Mexico and buy gifts for as many as eighty children. The team used their annual fundraising drive to purchase these gifts.

Coach Taylor’s 22 year head coaching record was 165-79-1 with 17 playoff appearances. His teams won nine District Championships, nine Bi-District championships and made two trips to the Quarter Finals. He was District Coach of the Year 10 times, Area Coach of the Year four times, and was the Tom Landry award nominee for the region four times. He was honored in 2017 with the National Football Foundation Coach of the Year Award for this area.

Coach Taylor and his wife Renée have been married for 43 years and have two children. Scarlett and her husband, Brandon, live in Andrews where Scarlett serves as a speech pathologist. His son, Jarryd, and wife, Laura, live in Midland where Jarryd is a football coach for Midland High. The Taylors have one grandson, Jace Ezekiel, and another grandson on the way.