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2007 Coaching Staff
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Robert Taylor
Head Coach
Albion College, 1996
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The 2007 campaign will be the fifth of Head Coach Robert Taylor’s tenure at the helm of the Yellow Jacket football program and 10th overall with the Purple and Gold. Prior to taking the reigns of the program, Taylor spent five seasons as the team’s defensive coordinator.
The Yellow Jackets have shown steady improvement under Taylor’s guidance and turned in a 7-3 mark in 2006, one year after posting the largest single-season improvement in school history. After dropping the season opener, Defiance rattled off six-straight victories to tie its longest win streak and best start to a season since winning the Heartland Conference Championship in 2001.
Taylor and his team found the national spotlight on numerous occasions in 2006, with the first time coming with a mention on ESPN’s College GameDay and a feature on D3Football.com after posting a 10-0 victory at Adrian in week two. The Jackets then garnered votes in the national polls heading into week eight with a 4-0 record in the HCAC and a share of the conference lead.
Prior to being promoted to head coach, Taylor compiled and managed one of the best defenses in the nation year in and year out. His 2001 and 2002 squads each gave up less than 14 points-per-game and ranked in the NCAA Top-25 statistically. The 2002 team gave up an HCAC-low 173 passing yards per game, while his special teams work resulted in a conference-leading 22.1 yards per kick-off return.
Even with his move to the head coaching position, Defiance has continued to yield a stout effort on the defensive side of the ball. DC led the HCAC in rushing defense in 2005 and ranked sixth in the nation in total defense in 2006.
Before coming to DC, Taylor coached the defensive line at NCAA Division II St. Joseph’s College (Ind.). There, Taylor helped lead the Pumas to a Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship in 1996.
As a student-athlete at Albion College in Michigan, Taylor was a part of four-straight Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championships, two NCAA playoff berths and a NCAA Division III National Championship in 1994. The following year, he was named as the MIAA Most Valuable Player as a defensive end.
Over his playing and coaching career, the Grosse Ile, Mich., native has been involved with seven conference championships and four NCAA postseason appearances.
Coach Taylor and his wife, Elizabeth, have four children; Bo, 9; Lexi, 7; Jackson, 5; and Emma, 2.
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Nick Tabacca
Run Game Coordinator
Offensive Line Coach
Ball State University, 2004
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Nick Tabacca is entering his first season with the Purple and Gold and will serve as the Offensive Line Coach.
Tabacca comes to Defiance after spending the past two years as a Defensive Graduate Assistant and Assistant Defensive Line Coach with Ball State University. Tabacca was directly responsible for coaching the nose guards on the defensive line.
Prior to accepting the position at Ball State, Tabacca was a four-time letter winner with the Cardinals from 2000-2005, including the school’s 2001 MAC West Tri-Champion squad. The Columbus, Ohio, native excelled on and off the field with Ball State, earning an undergraduate degree in history in 2004, before completing his master’s degree in business administration in the summer of 2006. Tabacca graduated with a 3.4 grade-point average and was named to the Dean’s List on three separate occasions.
On the field, Tabacca spent time at the center, guard and tackle positions while anchoring the offensive line and was a team captain in 2004. The two-time Mid American Conference First Team All-Academic selection started 31 consecutive games at one point and helped pave the way to a single-season rushing record for Ball State.
Tabacca will look to help DC’s offensive line continue to consistently pave the way for a potent ground game. The Jackets ranked third in the HCAC in 2006 while averaging 134.8 yards per game on the ground and eclipsing the 100-yard barrier in all but two contests.
Nick and his wife, Alyssa, are currently expecting their first child in October and reside in Defiance.
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Mike Hayden
Running Backs Coach
Defiance College
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| Mike Haydon will begin his coaching career this season after completing a standout career on the gridiron for the Purple & Gold.
Haydon will be primarily responsible for the running backs during the 2007 season and will look to continue a traditionally strong running game for the Yellow Jackets.
The Allen Park, Michigan, native was a four-year starter with Defiance from his strong safety position and served as a team captain during his final collegiate campaign.
Haydon helped to anchor one of the top secondary units in the nation in 2006, amassing 59 total tackles and ranking fourth in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference with 6.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for negative yardage.
He was a major factor every time he stepped on the field for the Jackets, totaling five or more tackles in seven-of-10 games as a senior.
His success on the field resulted in three-straight All-Heartland Conference selections and a pair of First Team All-HCAC nods.
While assisting on the Defiance coaching staff, Haydon will also work towards completing his undergraduate degree in early childhood education.
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Alex Bailey
Wide Receivers Coach
Youngstown State State University, 2007
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| Alex Bailey brings a strong football and strength and conditioning background with him to Defiance and will put both to use during his first season at DC.
Bailey will be assigned to the wide receivers and will also assist with the strength and conditioning program during his time with the Yellow Jackets.
The Columbus, Ohio, native recently graduated with a degree in exercise science from Youngstown State and is now pursuing a master’s degree in education from Defiance.
During his time with the Penguins, Bailey played three seasons as a wide receiver and completed an internship with the YSU football strength and conditioning program under head strength coach Todd Burkey.
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Adam Hart
Tight Ends Coach
Defiance College
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| Adam Hart will also be joining the Yellow Jacket coaching staff after completing a career on the field for Defiance.
Hart will work directly with the tight ends during his first football coaching stint.
During his career with the Purple & Gold, Hart spent time as a wide receiver and had the opportunity to play beside his brother, Aaron Hart. One of Hart’s career highlights came during the final game of his collegiate career when he caught a pass from his twin brother in a 20-6 victory over the Bluffton Beavers.
The Toledo, Ohio, native will work towards completing his undergraduate degree in middle childhood education from Defiance, while assisting on the coaching staff.
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Chris Bowers
Defensive Coordinator, Secondary
Wittenberg University, 1999
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| The 2007 campaign will be the first for Chris Bowers as the Defensive Coordinator at Defiance College. Bowers most recently served as the Assistant Defensive Backs Coach at Northwestern University and brings nearly four years of Big Ten experience with him to the Yellow Jackets.
During his time with the Wildcats, Bowers worked as an assistant in the Football Operations as well as Recruiting Departments, while also serving as the Assistant Defensive Backs Coach.
Under Bowers’ watchful eye, the Northwestern secondary ranked seventh in the nation in interceptions and 12th in takeaways during the 2005 season.
Prior to his time at Northwestern, Bowers worked on staff at the University of Findlay as a graduate assistant and defensive assistant for the defensive backs and special teams.
Bowers is no stranger to Defiance College as he has five direct relatives who attended DC, including his grandfather Joe Bowers who was inducted into the Alumni Varsity D Hall of Fame in 1975. His wife, Christina, also has two uncles who graduated from DC.
The Lima Senior High School product graduated from Wittenberg in 1999 and will take over the reigns of one of the top defensive units in the Heartland Conference over the past several seasons. The Jackets held opponents to just 197 total yards per game in 2006, good for the sixth-best mark in the nation, and also ranked among the top 20 in the country as a unit in rushing defense and pass efficiency defense.
Chris and his wife, Christina, currently reside in Defiance.
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Joe Prchlik
Defensive Line Coach
Bowling Green State University
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| Joe Prchlik is entering his second season with the Yellow Jackets after spending three years coaching at Liberty Center. During that time, Prchlik worked specifically with the offensive and defensive lines and also helped with developing a youth football program at Edgerton High School.
Along with his coaching experience, Prchlik also boasts numerous accomplishments on the field. Prchlik was a three-year starter at nose tackle for Bowling Green State University from 1982-84 and was named a team captain in 1984. Prchlik received All-Conference honors for his athletic and academic achievements en route to leading his BGSU squad to a MAC Championship.
The Strongsville, Ohio, native was elected into the Strongsville High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988.
Prchlik earned a degree in history from BGSU.
Prchlik and his wife, Dionna, have four children; Jessica, Jakub, Petr and Cassondra.
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Rick Notarianni
Defensive Line Coach
Washington & Jefferson University, 2006
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| Rick Notarianni is in his second season on the Defiance College coaching staff. Notarianni comes to DC from Washington and Jefferson College where he was a member of three teams that competed in the NCAA Division III playoffs and a pair of conference championships.
With Notarianni in the starting lineup, Washington and Jefferson set a school record with 12 wins during the 2004 season and earned a bid into the NCAA playoffs in 2005.
Notarianni gained coaching experience at W&J while serving as an assistant to the defensive staff at Midpark High School as well as helping with the W&J youth camp during the summer months.
The Cleveland, Ohio, native earned his B.A. in History from Washington and Jefferson in May of 2006. The Dean’s List Scholar is currently pursuing a master’s in Education at Defiance College.
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Joe Borer
Defensive Line Coach
Defiance College
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| Joe Borer will come on staff with the Yellow Jackets in 2007 after playing two full seasons on the defensive line for DC.
The Sheffield Lake, Ohio, native will help Coach Notarianni and Coach Prchlik with the defensive line during his first stint as a coach and will continue to work towards gaining his degree in physical education and health education.
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Craig McCord
Special Teams, Linebackers Coach
Ashland College
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| Craig McCord enters his fourth season at Defiance and will move from the Offensive Coordinator to the Special Teams Coach for the 2007 campaign.
McCord is an Ashland University graduate and received his master’s degree from Bowling Green State University.
McCord came to Ayersville High School in 1974 and started the football program from scratch. In 30 years he turned the Pilots into 12-time league champions, had five undefeated regular seasons, eight appearances in the state playoffs and earned a runner-up finish in the state in 1986.
McCord was inducted into the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in April of 2006. During his 35-year career as a high school coach, McCord tutored 231 all-conference players, 39 All-Ohio players and two Ohio Offensive Backs of the Year. He also saw 18 of his prep standouts move on to play in the collegiate ranks.
The list of accomplishments does not stop there however, as McCord was also honored as a Jennings Foundation Scholar three times and received the 200-victory award from the OHSFCA. McCord was named The Crescent News Coach of the Year three times, coached the Defiance-7 County All-Star Game and co-coached the Northwest Ohio Regional All-Star Game.
McCord thrived as a head coach on the court as well, leading the women’s basketball program at Ayersville for 15 seasons. During his tenure, he compiled a 186-143 mark and took the Lady Pilots to the final four in 1992. After the end of the 1992 season, McCord was named as the women’s basketball Coach of the Year by The Crescent-News.
Craig and his wife, Patti, have three grown children and are the grandparents of six.
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