One of Willie Taggart's most impressive qualities is his ability to relate to people on a personal level.
It's why he has always been such a good recruiter. It's why he was such a big hit (and refreshing change of pace) on the Seminole Boosters' spring tour. It's why he seems to get along with so many people in the media.
He just has a natural presence.
When he talks, he doesn't necessarily sound like a big-time football coach. He sounds like a human being. Talking to other human beings.
And that's why we thought this story from a personal moment in his life was so illuminating.
During an interview with Warchant.com, Taggart was asked a simple question: How did he meet his wife, Taneshia.
"We met in college (at Western Kentucky). It was in the student union," he said. "I had seen her before. I had seen her when she first got there. I was a junior. She was a freshman. And the first time I saw her, I was like, 'Damn.''
"And me and her roommate's brother were really close. He played on the football team, too. So I knew her roommate. So I was coming from class. I walked through the student union. And she was sitting down with her roommate. They were sitting in there. It was one of those moments where you go eat, but you want to still make sure she's still back out there."
She was.
And Taggart, sort of, made his move.
"I kind of made conversation with another teammate who was near her," he said. "You know, make sure I was close. And I remember looking over and you could just sense she was saying something. I don't know what she was saying, but she was saying something about me."
Keep in mind, Taggart was the star of the WKU football team. He was the record-breaking starting quarterback who would go on to have his jersey retired. He was a big deal on that campus.
But the big deal still wanted to make sure his spider senses were correct. That he wasn't just imagining something that wasn't there.
So later on that night, he asked Taneshia's roommate what she had said about him.
"She said that you had cute dimples," was the reply.
"Oh, once she said that, it was a wrap," Taggart said with a laugh. "So after that, I made sure I was smiling every time I saw her. And I just finally talked to her and we got to know each other better. And we just hit it off just like that."
Willie and Taneshia Taggart have been married for 19 years and have two sons (Willie Jr., and Jackson) and one daughter (Morgan). The Taggarts celebrated their wedding anniversary last month.
For more on Taggart's life-changing years at Western Kentucky, read this accompanying story:
* Getting snubbed by FSU, others might have been Taggart's biggest 'blessing'
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