Taggart quickly winning over Seminole Nation
JACKSONVILLE -- The record crowd for Florida State's April 14 spring game definitely wasn't an anomaly. Wherever Willie Taggart goes, Seminole fans have followed.
Such was the case on Monday when FSU's new head football coach kicked off his Spring Booster Tour at the San Jose Country Club in Jacksonville. The event sold out just a couple weeks after it was announced. There was so much demand for tickets that an overflow room was added to watch the presentation on a simulcast.
According to Seminole Booster Area Membership Chairman Max Zahn, the Jacksonville Tour Stop had a record number of sponsors and was sold out for the first time since the Bobby Bowden era. The clamor to see the new head coach is spreading wherever Seminole fans call home. Several other stops for the Spring Tour have either sold out are are close to filling up.
"He's a genuine guy, he's friendly and enjoys the spring tour," Seminole Boosters CEO and president Andy Miller told Warchant.com. "He really connects well with people... what I like so much about him is he's uniting our fanbase right now. He's making all the right connections."
The huge turnout at the spring game and the first spring tour stop have not gone unnoticed by the 41-year-old coach.
"They haven't just embraced me, they've embraced all of us," said Taggart, referring to his staff. "Am I surprised? No, this is what I always felt it was like to be a Seminole."
The feeling between the fans and their new head coach is clearly mutual. Taggart's smile never faltered despite spending hours Monday signing autographs, taking photos and speaking about the upcoming season.
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The high level of fan interest is in stark contrast to the spring tours from the past few years. Clearly excitement had dwindled, attendance was down and some stops were eliminated altogether. However, that is no longer the case as Taggart will visit 17 cities over the next two months.
Like former FSU head coach Bobby Bowden, Taggart relishes the opportunity to meet with the program's supporters. Miller, who has been president of the Seminole Boosters since 1975, sees the similarities between the two in terms of how they interact with fans.
"He's very much like that (Bowden). He's much more low key and soft spoken, but as he addresses a crowd he really connects extraordinarily well," explained Miller. "He's got an engaging smile and his body language is very friendly, so he immediately connects with people."
One of the first things Taggart did when he became head coach was reach out to the Seminole coaching legend. The two quickly formed a friendship, and Bowden came to his first football practice since his final season as head coach in 2009. He was also in attendance for the April 14 spring football game.
When asked whether Bowden had any advice for him before embarking on the spring tour, Taggart said he kept it simple.
"Coach Bowden just told me to be me and you'll do fine," he said. "I don't plan on changing for anyone. I've followed coach Bowden from afar, and I will say the things he believes — faith, football and family. I believe in those things too. Our fanbase, they are all family, so they are all part of this"
All this excitement surrounding the new head coach is doing more than just impacting the Booster Tour stops and pushing record crowds at a spring game. The recent fan interest is translating into a financial uptick for both Florida State athletics and Seminole Boosters.
"This year people are coming forward giving, in buying tickets, and our Champions Club is doing great," said Miller. "People understand that we are having to compete nationally with other programs who are spending more money than we are. So they are coming forward and are getting the message and that's what we need."
Also helping is the fact that Florida State has an exciting home schedule in 2018, including the opener versus Virginia Tech on Labor Day night.
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