Lance Taylor, with his father James, brother Josh, and sister Maria (photo courtesy of James Taylor).
Lance Taylor is currently the only Native American division 1 football coach. He is leading the team at Western Michigan University with poise and grace. His Indigenous culture influences his behavior, coaching and otherwise. The university is fortunate to have a coach of Taylor’s caliber heading their division 1 program. Let’s learn a little more about the star of this article below.
The Childhood Of The Star
Little Lance Taylor was born in Mount Vernon, Alabama. As someone who lived in Alabama for several years, I’ve never even heard of Mount Vernon. That’s for good reason too—in the 2020 census there are just over 1,000 residents in the city. Interestingly, only 0.1% of the residents are Native American. Yet that is the unlikely location where our star was born.
Taylor is biracial. His mother Susan is white, and his father James is Native American. He was raised with his siblings Maria and Josh in a household with little money. James Taylor built a house a few miles outside of the reservation where he raised his children with his wife.
Interestingly, the Mobile-Washington County (MOWA) Choctaw tribe was able to buy reservation land in 1979 and became the first Native American tribe recognized in the state of Alabama. Just two years before Lance was born. The tribe is not federally recognized. I discussed the nuances of federal and state recognition and just how important it is (or isn’t) here.
The Influence of James Taylor
James Taylor’s mother would tell him stories of the trail of tears when he was growing up in the 1950s and 60s. In an interview with The Courier, he was quoted as saying, “It was so long we hid our heritage, not wanting to say who we were because of what could possibly happen to us. It was a lot of things about our heritage we lost, like speaking our native tongue. We did away with a lot of the traditions that we had and so … we started learning some of our heritage back.”
Learning their heritage was something James took seriously. After playing ball at the University of Alabama, he returned back to his hometown and decided to cultivate his culture in his children. Little Lance, Josh, and Maria were raised going to PowWows on the reservation and learned the history of their people.
James Taylor attended Alabama just 10 years after George Wallace made a mockery of himself and the country in his protest to de-segregating institutions by the “block the schoolroom doors” foolishness. Taylor knew the world was a harsh place at times. He had to branch out since few members of his tribe had gone to college and most had gone to traditionally Native American institutions if they did. He walked so that his children could fly.
Maria Taylor was actually a tribal princess for a time and can speak Choctaw, and she learned traditional beading and cooking skills. That is the rich background that Salutatorian of Citronelle High School, Lance Taylor, went into the world with.
Lance Taylor Carries On His Culture
In 2022, when Taylor was introduced as the new head coach at Western Michigan University, he discussed his heritage. He was quoted as saying, “I grew up two miles from my reservation and grew up going to powwows, learning our culture, history, and traditions. It was woven and made me who I am today. It is part of the fabric of what I do and what I believe in. I think it will come out through our program as I carry out our mission every single day. So, I am proud of my heritage and love my people and I know they are proud of me.”
A relative of Lance Taylor, Cedric Sunray, was also quoted in the same The Courier article, saying “Lance is overcoming levels of historical and generational trauma to be at that level of success, which most simply are not going to be able to navigate. When you have someone like Lance, just his presence, the representation that he offers, it’s remarkable and it’s virtually unheard of.” Such kind and thought-provoking words from the education coordinator in Oklahoma.
Lance and his wife Jamie are also serious about passing down the Choctaw culture to their children, Jemma and Jet. Both children are enrolled on the same tribal list with their dad. Susan and James have also created videos about their tribe to share with Jemma and Jet. The children of a father who moves a lot for his work have perks, but consistently visiting the reservation is not one of them, unfortunately.
That Football Thing
I would be remiss without discussing the influence that Lance Taylor had on football. There’s the whole being a role model for all Native Americans hoping for a future in football past the high school level thing. A positive influence that cannot be underestimated. Let’s discuss all of the places Taylor has contributed to within the world of football since college.
Taylor spent a year at Auburn before attending the University of Alabama. He started as a walk-on for Alabama and worked his way up to a scholarship student between 1999 and 2002. He played as a wide receiver and became special- team captain in his senior year. In college, he got a degree in business management.
Afterwards, he played four seasons with professional football leagues like the Arena Football League and the AF2. An ACL tear sidelined Lance Taylor’s career permanently in 2006.
Coaching Carousel
Lance Taylor has moved around quite a bit since 2007. Which is not at all unusual for any coach. You have to spread the impact of your talent all around. Taylor started doing that at Alabama as a GA from 2007 to 2008. He was a WR coach for Appalachian State in 2009. Mr. Taylor was talented enough that he went to the NFL in 2010 with the New York Jets. In 2013, he went to the Panthers and came back from 2017 to 2018.
In between his NFL stints, he was a RB coach for Stanford. After that, he coached three seasons with The Fighting Irish. After a single season as OC at Louisville, he has been the head coach at Western Michigan since 2023. His record as HC is 9-11. Notably, he coached Christian McCaffrey at Stanford. Thank you, Lance Taylor!
Conclusion
Lance Taylor is a much-needed role model within the world of football, specifically division 1 NCAA ball. He was raised with an intentionally strong connection to his MOWA Choctaw culture thanks to his own parents and grandparents, something he is passing down to his own children. Lance is an inspiration to us all and is an undeniable asset to the greater football community. For more inspirational players that represent their heritage with dignity and grace, read more here at The Forkball.
