MANHATTAN, Kan. _ Nebraska basketball coach Tim Miles has a message for Kansas State fans as they prepare to meet new athletic director Gene Taylor _ expect a lasting first impression.
"The first game I remember him being at as my athletic director was awesome," Miles said in a phone interview. "I'm walking behind the refs at halftime and Gene is leaned over in the stands just giving it to them, yelling, 'You guys are awful!' It was amazing. As am I'm watching this, I'm thinking I don't even have to do anything. My boss has got it."
Miles and Taylor used to work together at North Dakota State, and, like most within the athletic department at that time, they forged a successful partnership. During Taylor's 13 years as NDSU athletic director, the Bison made the move up from Division II and won at notable levels in Division I. The NDSU football team became the preeminent power in the Football Championship Subdivision, winning three national championships under Taylor and then two more after he moved on to Iowa in 2014.
They also defeated K-State, 24-21, in the opening game of the 2013 season at Snyder Family Stadium.
In men's basketball, North Dakota State twice advanced to the NCAA Tournament under his watch. In 2013-14, it won 27 games, claimed a Summit League championship and defeated Oklahoma in the round of 64. The Bison were also postseason regulars in volleyball and softball.
"Kansas State has got a winner, a home run in Gene Taylor," Miles said. "He's a great guy, very passionate. He knows how to build programs. He was part of North Dakota State going from Division II to Division I and helping every team win. Those things don't happen by accident. They happened by design and great administration.
"Gene had everything to do with that, because he was there when times were most difficult and people thought we were crazy. As a coach, I remember thinking, 'Oh boy.' But he supported me and helped me build a program and build a winner. He will do the same for Kansas State, I have no doubt."
That is certainly the hope in Manhattan. K-State hired Taylor as its new athletic director on Friday. He will be formally introduced at a news conference Monday morning.
Taylor, 58, comes to K-State from Iowa, where he was deputy athletic director for the Hawkeyes. While there, he was responsible for administrative oversight for the day-to-day operations of the department, as well as its finances and human resources operations.
"Throughout the process, Gene's experience as an athletics director and his national reputation as a respected leader and someone who has built and maintained tremendous relationships with his staff, coaches, student-athletes and donors stood out in what was an extremely talented pool of candidates," K-State president Richard Myers said in a statement.
Taylor beat out a diverse group of candidates that featured several sitting athletic directors at Division I schools, sources said, as well as a handful of other qualified assistants.
"We are excited to get to Manhattan," Taylor said, "and I look forward to meeting our student-athletes, coaches, staff and supporters and helping them build upon the across-the-board success that K-State has attained."
His success at North Dakota State helped him stand out, but he also made a positive impact during his three years at Iowa.
"Gene Taylor is one of the most respected athletic administrators in the country," Iowa AD Gary Barta said in a statement. "I'm so excited for him and for Kansas State. He has such a great combination of passion, experience, and the ability to lead by bringing people together toward a common goal. He's made a big difference during his time with the Hawkeyes. I'm going to miss him as a colleague and as a friend."
"It has been a great pleasure to work with, and learn from Gene," added Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, "and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward. Kansas State has hired a very talented administrator, and a professional who works well with others on all levels to achieve the desired results."
Taylor's prominent coaching hires include football coach Craig Bohl (now at Wyoming), and basketball coaches Saul Phillips (Ohio) and Miles (Nebraska).
Taylor also boosted North Dakota State's athletic department financially, increasing its budget from about $5.5 million when he started to $17 million when he left for Iowa in June 2014. He took the job at Iowa in hopes of one day becoming athletic director at a power-conference school such as K-State.
He brings more than 28 years of experience in athletics administration with him, spending 15 years as an administrative assistant at Navy before joining North Dakota State. He attended college at Arizona State.
Taylor's accolades include being selected as the FCS Central Region AD of the year in 2008 and 2012 by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. Taylor also received the Blue Key Honor Society Doctor of Service Award, one of the most prestigious honors an NDSU faculty member can receive, in 2012.
K-State has been searching for a new athletic director since John Currie left for Tennessee in late February. Currie was hired as K-State's athletic director in 2009 and held the position for nearly eight years, raising funds and upgrading facilities at unprecedented heights but struggling to connect with and support his coaches. Laird Veatch, a former K-State football player and a Manhattan local, has been working as the interim AD.
Taylor will arrive at K-State during a busy week. The Wildcats wanted to have a new athletic director in place before the start of a hectic weekend that includes the school's annual Powercat Auction on April 21 and the football team's spring game the following day.
An eight-person search committee, chaired by K-State Alumni Association president Amy Button Renz, helped Myers decide on Taylor.
They did their homework and the Wildcats got their man.
Get ready, K-State fans.
"He will come in and hit the ground running," Miles said. "He's a great connector, he gets football, he's good to work with and he has been at the power-five level. That's why he left NDSU for Iowa, to understand the highest level of athletics so he could go be an AD at the highest level of athletics. He's ready for this."
