Taylor reflects on career
Wayne Country Day baseball coach stepping down
Michael Taylor, who built Wayne Country Day School into a regional athletics powerhouse during a 17-year tenure at the school, announced last month he is stepping down as athletic director and head baseball coach at Wayne Country Day. Starting in the Fall, Taylor will teach P.E. and coach soccer and baseball at Eastern Wayne Middle School.
Taylor, who took over the Chargers baseball program in 2003, has impacted the lives of many student-athletes, who view Taylor not only as a coach, but a person to look up to and emulate.
During his time as the head baseball coach, Taylor racked up more than 200 wins in 17 seasons, one state championship in 2007, two state runners-up, five CPIC Coach of the Year awards, five CPIC championships and 21 all-state baseball players.
“It was awesome playing for coach Taylor. He was the best coach I ever had” said Kevin Herring, who played for Taylor in 2007. “He came in when I was in sixth or seventh grade, and he jumped in full speed ahead. He coached me in more than just baseball. He was technically my golf coach. He was my math teacher, and he even taught me a little bit of Spanish, so he did a little bit of everything.
“He was more than just a coach. He was a great role model for us and an awesome coach.”
Ryan Smith, who played for Taylor in 2017, said, “I played baseball my entire life, and I’ve had a handful of coaches, but no coach could get on the players’ level and understand players. Coach Taylor could always accommodate. He could talk to you like a friend and coach. He was always there and always had your back.”
In the role as athletic director, Taylor spearheaded an athletics department that had 90 all-state athletes, 16 boys’ CPIC championships, 26 girls’ championships, 10 NCISAA championships, 10 NCISAA runners-up and three Wells Fargo Championships.
Taylor is leaving Wayne Country Day in a better position than when he started. Taylor added he has no doubt in mind assistant A.D. David Flowers, who stepping into the A.D., role will continue Wayne Country Day’s fantastic run of success.
“It’s been terrific working with Michael. He’s a friend, not coworker, I’ve learned a lot from him, and I’ve been able to watch him and learn why we’re so successful,” Flowers said. “It been awesome to see that, and Michael runs a terrific program. Winning the Wells Fargo Cup three years in a row is no easy task.
“He puts the right people in the right places. He makes it seem easy, and I want to be able to keep it going in the right direction and keep the same things going.”
Even though he is moving on from Wayne Country Day, Taylor will always cherish the friendships, relationships and memories of his time at Wayne Country Day.
“I will always live Wayne Country Day,” Taylor said. “It’s a small, tight-knit family, and Wayne Country Day has been my family for the past 17 years, and it will always be a part of my family. I will never forget the time that I’ve spent here. I have enjoyed it tremendously.”
Family time
After 17 years at Wayne Country Day, Taylor felt it was the right time to step away from the house he built. Family is vital to Taylor, and he wanted to spend more time with his family.
“As my son was getting older, I was missing some of his events, and family is very, very important to me, and being able to spend time with my wife and my son is the most important thing to me,” Taylor said. “I just felt like over the past couple years, I wasn’t able to spend that much quality time with my family.”
Taylor said stepping down was one of the hardest decisions he’s ever had to make, and he credits his wife for helping him get through the past 17 years at Wayne Country Day.
“My wife has just been supportive of me over the last 17 years,” Taylor said. “She knew she was marrying a coach and an athletic director, but she has been the most supportive and understanding individual that I’ve ever known.”
Over the past two years, Taylor really started to think about his future and what he wanted to do, and in his new role, he’ll be able to get home at a decent hour and spend more quality time not only with his wife and son but his parents as well.
“It’s just time to spend more time with my actual family,” Taylor said.
A wild ride
Taylor joined the Wayne Country Day staff straight out of college, and he’ll forever be thankful that the school’s administration at the time saw something in him and gave him an opportunity. At the end of his second year, he was offered the assistant athletic director position, and at the end of his third year, he applied for the athletic director position.
“Being athletic director was a goal of mine, and when I took over as the A.D. in the summer of 2005, the school was not in a very good place from school standpoint and from an athletics standpoint, and Mr. Anderson (Wayne Country Day’s head of school) wanted me to build a program,” he said.
In his first season as head coach, Taylor guided the Chargers to their first playoff appearance in decades. From 2003-2006, the Chargers went from being the hunters to the hunted. In 2007, the Chargers reached the pinnacle by winning their first state championship.
Gaston Lewis, who played on Taylor’s first team in 2003, said “When he came to Wayne Country Day, our program was really, really poor. He was the first coach we had that actually cared about the baseball program, and he helped put us back on track. He made a big difference, and it was cool to have somebody come in there and really change the momentum of the program and show all the kids that he actually cared. We got to watch him grow, because he was pretty young when he came, so that was cool, too.”
From 2007 on, the Chargers were a force to be reckoned with on the baseball diamond. Over the past 12 seasons, the Chargers compiled a 144-112-1 record. The 2017 and 2018 seasons were arguably some of the best seasons in program history. During those two seasons, the Chargers finished with an 36-11 record, and in 2018, the Chargers advanced all the way the NCISAA state championship game before losing to Kerr-Vance Academy.
Mitch Turnage, who was a senior on the 2017 team, said, “He was with me from day one until the last day, and we still talk once a week. He was my rock at school. In seventh grade, he gave me a starting spot straight out of the gate. It was wonderful, and I wouldn’t have traded him for the world.
“He’s a friend, and it didn’t matter what time it was, if you wanted to go throw or go hit, or just somebody to talk to he was there, and that was huge.”
Upon taking over Wayne Country Day’s athletics’ program, Taylor began to implement his style. For him, it was all about the student-athletes. Even if a player has graduated, Taylor makes sure to check in on him and ask how he is doing.
Travis Davis, who also played for Taylor in 2007, said, “I remember I was seventh or eighth grade when he came to Wayne Country Day, and you could just see a major transition in the baseball program. Everything started coming together, and we started taking ourselves more seriously, and it was just great to be a part of it.”
Added Cameron Ford, who also played for Taylor in 2007, said, “My last game that I played for him we lost, and it was an emotional time, and he came and comforted me, and he gave me some words of encouragement. Those words stuck with me over the years.
“And then back in 2007 when we won the state championship, I was a freshman, and I was lucky enough to catch the fly ball that ended the game, and coach Taylor was the first one on the field. Everyone else was dogpiling, but he came right for and took me by the waist and lifted me up over my shoulders and threw me to the ground. That’s something that sticks with me too.”
Wayne Country Day baseball coach stepping down
- By AVIEL SMOLKA
- Jun 28, 2019
Michael Taylor, who built Wayne Country Day School into a regional athletics powerhouse during a 17-year tenure at the school, announced last month he is stepping down as athletic director and head baseball coach at Wayne Country Day. Starting in the Fall, Taylor will teach P.E. and coach soccer and baseball at Eastern Wayne Middle School.
Taylor, who took over the Chargers baseball program in 2003, has impacted the lives of many student-athletes, who view Taylor not only as a coach, but a person to look up to and emulate.
During his time as the head baseball coach, Taylor racked up more than 200 wins in 17 seasons, one state championship in 2007, two state runners-up, five CPIC Coach of the Year awards, five CPIC championships and 21 all-state baseball players.
“It was awesome playing for coach Taylor. He was the best coach I ever had” said Kevin Herring, who played for Taylor in 2007. “He came in when I was in sixth or seventh grade, and he jumped in full speed ahead. He coached me in more than just baseball. He was technically my golf coach. He was my math teacher, and he even taught me a little bit of Spanish, so he did a little bit of everything.
“He was more than just a coach. He was a great role model for us and an awesome coach.”
Ryan Smith, who played for Taylor in 2017, said, “I played baseball my entire life, and I’ve had a handful of coaches, but no coach could get on the players’ level and understand players. Coach Taylor could always accommodate. He could talk to you like a friend and coach. He was always there and always had your back.”
In the role as athletic director, Taylor spearheaded an athletics department that had 90 all-state athletes, 16 boys’ CPIC championships, 26 girls’ championships, 10 NCISAA championships, 10 NCISAA runners-up and three Wells Fargo Championships.
Taylor is leaving Wayne Country Day in a better position than when he started. Taylor added he has no doubt in mind assistant A.D. David Flowers, who stepping into the A.D., role will continue Wayne Country Day’s fantastic run of success.
“It’s been terrific working with Michael. He’s a friend, not coworker, I’ve learned a lot from him, and I’ve been able to watch him and learn why we’re so successful,” Flowers said. “It been awesome to see that, and Michael runs a terrific program. Winning the Wells Fargo Cup three years in a row is no easy task.
“He puts the right people in the right places. He makes it seem easy, and I want to be able to keep it going in the right direction and keep the same things going.”
Even though he is moving on from Wayne Country Day, Taylor will always cherish the friendships, relationships and memories of his time at Wayne Country Day.
“I will always live Wayne Country Day,” Taylor said. “It’s a small, tight-knit family, and Wayne Country Day has been my family for the past 17 years, and it will always be a part of my family. I will never forget the time that I’ve spent here. I have enjoyed it tremendously.”
Family time
After 17 years at Wayne Country Day, Taylor felt it was the right time to step away from the house he built. Family is vital to Taylor, and he wanted to spend more time with his family.
“As my son was getting older, I was missing some of his events, and family is very, very important to me, and being able to spend time with my wife and my son is the most important thing to me,” Taylor said. “I just felt like over the past couple years, I wasn’t able to spend that much quality time with my family.”
Taylor said stepping down was one of the hardest decisions he’s ever had to make, and he credits his wife for helping him get through the past 17 years at Wayne Country Day.
“My wife has just been supportive of me over the last 17 years,” Taylor said. “She knew she was marrying a coach and an athletic director, but she has been the most supportive and understanding individual that I’ve ever known.”
Over the past two years, Taylor really started to think about his future and what he wanted to do, and in his new role, he’ll be able to get home at a decent hour and spend more quality time not only with his wife and son but his parents as well.
“It’s just time to spend more time with my actual family,” Taylor said.
A wild ride
Taylor joined the Wayne Country Day staff straight out of college, and he’ll forever be thankful that the school’s administration at the time saw something in him and gave him an opportunity. At the end of his second year, he was offered the assistant athletic director position, and at the end of his third year, he applied for the athletic director position.
“Being athletic director was a goal of mine, and when I took over as the A.D. in the summer of 2005, the school was not in a very good place from school standpoint and from an athletics standpoint, and Mr. Anderson (Wayne Country Day’s head of school) wanted me to build a program,” he said.
In his first season as head coach, Taylor guided the Chargers to their first playoff appearance in decades. From 2003-2006, the Chargers went from being the hunters to the hunted. In 2007, the Chargers reached the pinnacle by winning their first state championship.
Gaston Lewis, who played on Taylor’s first team in 2003, said “When he came to Wayne Country Day, our program was really, really poor. He was the first coach we had that actually cared about the baseball program, and he helped put us back on track. He made a big difference, and it was cool to have somebody come in there and really change the momentum of the program and show all the kids that he actually cared. We got to watch him grow, because he was pretty young when he came, so that was cool, too.”
From 2007 on, the Chargers were a force to be reckoned with on the baseball diamond. Over the past 12 seasons, the Chargers compiled a 144-112-1 record. The 2017 and 2018 seasons were arguably some of the best seasons in program history. During those two seasons, the Chargers finished with an 36-11 record, and in 2018, the Chargers advanced all the way the NCISAA state championship game before losing to Kerr-Vance Academy.
Mitch Turnage, who was a senior on the 2017 team, said, “He was with me from day one until the last day, and we still talk once a week. He was my rock at school. In seventh grade, he gave me a starting spot straight out of the gate. It was wonderful, and I wouldn’t have traded him for the world.
“He’s a friend, and it didn’t matter what time it was, if you wanted to go throw or go hit, or just somebody to talk to he was there, and that was huge.”
Upon taking over Wayne Country Day’s athletics’ program, Taylor began to implement his style. For him, it was all about the student-athletes. Even if a player has graduated, Taylor makes sure to check in on him and ask how he is doing.
Travis Davis, who also played for Taylor in 2007, said, “I remember I was seventh or eighth grade when he came to Wayne Country Day, and you could just see a major transition in the baseball program. Everything started coming together, and we started taking ourselves more seriously, and it was just great to be a part of it.”
Added Cameron Ford, who also played for Taylor in 2007, said, “My last game that I played for him we lost, and it was an emotional time, and he came and comforted me, and he gave me some words of encouragement. Those words stuck with me over the years.
“And then back in 2007 when we won the state championship, I was a freshman, and I was lucky enough to catch the fly ball that ended the game, and coach Taylor was the first one on the field. Everyone else was dogpiling, but he came right for and took me by the waist and lifted me up over my shoulders and threw me to the ground. That’s something that sticks with me too.”
