Former Grizzly quarterback set to lead Bengals in Super Bowl LVI

Butler alum Zac Taylor will have a shot at the ultimate trophy in the sport of football as he will lead the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI Sunday afternoon against the Los Angeles Rams.

This will not be Taylor's first shot at the Lombardi trophy as he was the quarterbacks coach for the Los Angeles Rams when they lost to the Patriots, 0-0 in 2018.

Taylor, the first ever Butler Grizzlies player to hold the title of head coach in the National Football League, will now have a chance to be called a Superbowl champion adding to a long list of accolades for the Norman, Oklahoma native.

Taylor transferred to Butler from Wake Forest where he spent a redshirt year and spent a season that saw him appear in three games in 2003. Taylor played in El Dorado during the 2004 season leading the Grizzlies to a Region VI title and an 11-1 overall record making it all the way to an appearance in the national championship game.

Taylor was named an NJCAA All-American after he passed for 2,682 yards and 27 touchdowns during the 2004 season while also being awarded the KJCCC Offensive Player of the Year.

After Butler, Taylor transferred to the University of Nebraska, where he had a very successful playing career for the Cornhuskers being named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2006.

After his playing days, Taylor's coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M. He made the jump to the NFL serving as the offensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins the final five games of the 2015 season. Taylor dipped back into the collegiate ranks for a season in 2016 serving as the OC for the Cincinnati Bearcats. The next year he was back in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams serving as an assistant in 2017 and 2018 when the Bengals came calling.

Taylor mentioned Butler in his introductory press conference when he became the Bengals head coach.

"Aaron Flores and Troy Morrell at Butler County Community College were some people that gave me confidence as a player and were great teachers," Taylor said. "Those were my playing days, but when you're around great teachers that really teach you the game at that level, it makes it a natural progression to go into coaching."

After two rebuilding years for the Bengals, Taylor has finally put it together. Building one of the youngest rosters in the league into an explosive offensive team. Led by former Heisman winner and 2022 Comeback Player of the Year Joe Burrow at quarterback and Offensive Rookie of the Year Ja'Marr Chase, Taylor's offense passed for almost 5,000 yards during the regular season.

Taylor has led the Bengals to a division title for the first time since 2015, along with three playoff wins over the Raiders in the wild card, the No. 1 seeded Tennessee Titans in the divisional round and most recently the No. 2 seeded Kansas City Chiefs advancing to Super Bowl LVI.