Mike Taylor (American football, born 1954)

Michael Taylor (born c. 1954) is an American former college football coach. He was the head football coach for North Greenville College—now known as North Greenville University—from 1987 to 1991 and from 2004 to 2008 and Newberry College from 1992 to 2002.

Playing career
Taylor was a native of Savannah, Georgia, and was a two-sport athlete for H. V. Jenkins High School and Newberry College. He participated in football and baseball. For the football team, he was a tailback for his first two seasons as he rushed for 518 yards as a sophomore in 1973. He suffered a season-ending injury during the 1974 football season. In 1975, he transitioned to defensive back.

Coaching career
In 1977, after he graduated from Newberry, he was hired as an assistant football coach for Georgetown (KY). After one season he was hired as the defensive backs coach for Lenoir–Rhyne. He coached the Bears defensive backfield for five seasons before being hired for the same position for East Tennessee State in 1983. Before the next season, he transitioned from coaching the defensive backs to coaching the wide receivers. In 1986, he rejoined Lenoir–Rhyne as the team's defensive coordinator. He resigned following the season.

After only one season with Lenoir–Rhyne, Taylor was hired as the head football coach for North Greenville. He was hired to coach the start-up junior college team that announced they were reinstating the previously discontinued football program. The team started practicing in the spring of 1988 and played their first varsity season in the fall of 1988. During his four-year tenure with the junior college, he finished with an overall record of 31–3, including undefeated seasons in his second and last seasons. His teams were known for their defensive prowess and his option running game. In 1992, he was hired as the head football coach for his alma mater, Newberry. In eleven seasons as head coach he led the team to a 47–73 record including a fifteen-game South Atlantic Conference (SAC) conference game losing streak. His best season came in 1996, the teams first season back in the SAC, as he led the team to a 7–4 record. He was fired following a 1–10 record in 2002. After not coaching in 2003, Taylor rejoined North Greenville, which was now a member of the NCAA Division II. He led the team to a 22–32 record in five seasons at the helm. His best season came in 2006 when his team finished 10–2 and won the Victory Bowl. He resigned after the 2008 season.

Honors
In 2001, Taylor was inducted into the North Greenville Hall of Fame as a coach.