Taylor leaves impact on Liberty

There will be some changes at the top of the Liberty ISD Athletic program and a new head coach running things next season on the gridiron. According to Superintendent Cody Abshier, after nearly 10 years in those roles, Chad Taylor will be transitioning to a new elementary PE Coordinator position.
Taylor leaves behind a record of 46-50 at Liberty, with five playoff appearances. In that time, he had one of the greatest seasons ever recorded by the Panthers, with a 10-3 record that saw the black and gold make it to the regional quarterfinals in the Class 4A UIL Football Playoffs. More importantly, Taylor leaves an impact on his team, school, and community.
“Chad Taylor, a family man, came to Liberty with high hopes for our athletic program. Chad’s hallmark was “loving kids.” He has left a reputation of caring and brotherhood among his peers and the men he has coached,” said Liberty Principal/ Girls Athletic Coordinator Karen Slack.
Taylor has received very high praise from his fellow coaches and staff for the job he did at Liberty.
“I’m just very proud of Chad and have so much appreciation for all he has done for our community over the last 10 years. Chad is a great coach, an outstanding dad and husband, and a great friend,” said Abshier.
Longtime friend and former coaching partner Deputy Superintendent Dusty McGee spoke fondly of Taylor and the role he took with his players.
“Coach Taylor’s always said he coached his players hard and got on them in practice, but always made sure he hugged them and let them know that they were loved before they left,” said McGee.
Now with the vacancy at athletic director, Joe Slack will step in on an interim basis to fill that void. Slack spoke highly of the job Taylor had done and his impact on everyone associated with the program.
“What I can tell you about Coach Taylor since the first day he brought me to campus was he preached FAMILY. The family on the field, the family in the office, and our own families. No matter what was going on, he always made sure our kids were the first priority. I was with him for all nine years as an assistant coach, and we had good times and bad, but it was always take care of your family. We consider him and his family to be our family too,” said Joe Slack.
Now Liberty will set out to find their new top man; with the position officially posted, there will be a search committee comprised of board members, administration, and parents. The committee will be tasked with finding the best candidates they can for the position. Once they have found two or three candidates, those will be handed over to Abshier and McGee to visit and interview before a final selection is made.