Los Angelas Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor is married to Sarah Sherman Taylor. He and his wife have four children. Taylor, 35, is expected to be hired by the Cincinnati Bengals as their new head coach after the Rams’ season ends, according to NFL.com.
Sarah Sherman Taylor, also 35, is the daughter of former NFL and college football coach Mike Sherman. She has been by Zac Taylor’s side throughout his coaching career, starting when her husband worked for her father at Texas A&M University as a graduate assistant. They have been married since 2008.
Zac Taylor, who played quarterback at the University of Nebraska, has traveled around the country with his wife and family as he has made the journey up the coaching ranks. He coached with the Miami Dolphins from 2012 to 2015, spent one season at the University of Cincinnati in 2016 as offensive coordinator and then joined the Rams in 2017. Sarah Taylor has helped keep their family together throughout all the moves.
“I always try to remember that when I get bitter or we are facing a heavy loss season, I think that there are a lot of young guys who would kill to have had the jobs my husband has had and he works really hard to get where he is,” Sarah Taylor Sherman told Living Pro Sports. “The highs are high and the lows are low, but if you remain strong in your faith and keep God and family No. 1 in your life, it is incredible how this profession can bless you.”
Here’s what you need to know about Zac Taylor’s wife Sarah Sherman Taylor:
1. Sarah Sherman Met Zac Taylor While She Was a Grad Student at the University of Nebraska & He Was the Starting Quarterback for the Cornhuskers
Sarah Sherman met Zac Taylor when they were both at the University of Nebraska in 2005. Sarah Sherman was pursuing a master’s degree in marketing and journalism and was working as a graduate assistant in Nebraska’s sports information department. Zac Taylor was the starting quarterback for the Cornhuskers. They were both 22 at the time. As part of her job with the athletic department, Sarah would get players after games and practices to talk to the media.
“I remember the first time I saw her,” he told Sports Illustrated in 2018. “We were practicing on our soccer field at Nebraska. When practice ended, there was a girl in a yellow dress. She looked so much more mature, I figured she was probably 30 years old. I’m only 22. As the year went by, I learned we were the same age. I would run into her more often and I realized maybe I had a chance.”
Sarah Taylor told Living Pro Sports that Zac’s humble and kind nature stood out to her. They soon started dating. “I honestly thought, “Oh my gosh, what a hunk!'” she told Modern Luxury. They quickly realized they had a lot in common: both came from big families, both had grown up around football and both were the oldest of their siblings.
“Within the first month of dating, I thought without a doubt that I could be with Sarah for the rest of my life,” Zac told Modern Luxury. He proposed during a game of mini golf after getting a ring custom made at a jewelry designer in Oklahoma City.
“I only had it two days before I proposed,” Taylor told Modern Luxury, adding that he had the ring hidden in the 12th hole. “By the time we got to the 12th hole, I could hardly talk.
Sarah and Zac Taylor were married in 2008 at St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Houston, with the reception held at River Oak Country Club. Football was a major theme at the wedding, including a groom’s cake shaped like a football.
“We had a guest list that included half the Houston Texans staff,” Sarah told Modern Luxury. “Our officiating priest was the team chaplain for the Green Bay Packers, where my dad used to coach.”
Zac Taylor wrote about his wife on their wedding anniversary in 2017, “Happy Anniversary to an awesome wife and mom who is willing to travel to 4 states and 2 countries in the 9 years we’ve been married.” On her birthday that same year he wrote, “Happy Birthday to the Queen of the Taylor house! She is an awesome mom, wife, sister and aunt and we are lucky she keeps us around! We appreciate all that you do for us, now let’s see how much cake we can eat!”
2. Sarah Sherman Taylor, 1 of 5 Siblings, Lived All Over the Country as a Child Because of Her Father’s Coaching Career & Both Taylors Worked With Sherman at Texas A&M
Sarah Sherman is one of five siblings. She and her family lived all over the country while she was growing up as her father, Mike Sherman, coached in college football and the NFL. They had moved 13 times and owned 11 houses by the time she turned 18. She was the oldest of the children and constantly had to adjust to new schools and try to find friends.
“I do believe that it forced me to be an outgoing person. I had to adjust and make it work and it was always hard to start, but I always found my way and made friends,” Sarah told Living Pro Sports.
Like his wife, Zac Taylor also comes from a football family. His father, Sherwood Taylor, was a defensive back and captain for Oklahoma and head coach Barry Switzer from 1976 to 1979. He later coached briefly in the 1980s at Oklahoma and Kansas State. His brother, Press Taylor, was a quarterback at Marshall University and currently coaches with the Philadelphia Eagles. He has two other siblings, including Kathryn, who is a Special Olympics swimmer, and another sister, Quincy.
Zac Taylor worked with his father-in-law Mike Sherman from 2008 until 2013, first as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M from 2008 until 2011 and then as assistant quarterbacks coach with the Miami Dolphins while Sherman was offensive coordinator. Sarah Taylor also worked at Texas A&M as a recruiting assistant while her father and husband coached.
Sarah Taylor told Living Pro Sports she enjoyed parts of that time, but is glad her husband is following his own career path now.
“In retrospect, I am not sure I would do that again. It was a great opportunity for my husband at the time that he couldn’t pass up and I am thankful to my dad for a allowing him to work there because he has a strict rule about hiring family and it’s for a reason, it doesn’t always work out! Luckily, they did work very well together,” she told the website. “But during those four years at Texas A&M, we were honestly probably too intertwined. It was a bit of a relief when it ended and we could all be a bit more normal. That being said though, my husband learned so much from my dad. I was so proud of my dad and how hard he worked and liked that my husband got to see that, and I got to live by my mom. So, there were good parts and bad!”
3. Sarah & Zac Taylor Have 2 Sons & 2 Daughters
Sarah Sherman Taylor and Zac Taylor have four children, two sons and two daughters. Brooks, their oldest son, is 8, and Luke, is 6. Their first daughter, Emma Claire, is 2, while their second daughter, Milly, was born in April 2018.
Zac Taylor expressed appreciation for what his wife does as a stay-at-home mom and football coach’s wife.
“She deals with so much during the seven months we’re in-season. I’m never around. Really, never. I might see the kids once a week. So in the offseason, I’ll never feel bad when there’s a day off. I place value on my family above everything else,” Zac Taylor told the Lincoln Journal Star in January 2018. “They put up with a lot to deal with me in this profession. But I’ve been blessed to have some great opportunities and have a great family that comes along for the ride.”
4. She Graduated From Marquette University With a Journalism Degree & Has Blogged About Her Family’s Journey in Football & Life
Sarah Sherman Taylor attended Marquette University in Wisconsin, where she graduated in 2005 with a degree in journalism, according to her Linkedin profile. She then completed her master’s degree in marketing and journalism at the University of Nebraska in 2007.
Sarah Taylor has used her journalism and writing skills to chronicle her family’s journey through the football world on a blog.
“This blog is dedicated to providing a chuckle and a glimpse into our crazy wonderful life. If you’re reading it you know me, and know that I love wine, sleeping, running and most of all my children … and my hunky husband Zac. I’m a normal mom who makes mistakes and I like to document them. Thanks for stopping by and hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy sharing,” she wrote on the blog.
5. Sarah Sherman Taylor Says She Learned How to Be a Coach’s Wife From Watching Her Mom
Sarah Sherman Taylor has said she learned a lot about what it means to be the wife of a football coach from watching her mother, Karen Sherman. Her mom was with Mike Sherman for 31 years of coaching in the NFL and college football.
“I always think of how she remained calm in tough times, no matter my dad’s role. Whether is was a position coach or head coach, she was the same. She always made sure to have a life and friends outside of football and always took us to church. I have so much respect for her and how she lived her life in such a stressful environment and I ask her questions constantly,” Sarah Taylor told Living Pro Sports.
“I think because of moving, my kids have grown up to be independent and friendly people. I know now though that they sacrificed a lot in the name of football,” Karen Sherman told the website. “I am happy Sarah found a wonderful man to marry. Although, I might have chosen a doctor!”
Both Sarah and Karen share concerns about the way coaches are treated in the NFL and college. Sarah said it was tough to know her father could be fired, saying, “it was ruthless then and it still is.” Her mother told Living Pro Sports, “I think the industry has changed for the worse. Coaches get fired way too easily now-a-days, which puts added stress on the families.”
Marta Kiss wrote for Living Pro Sports, “Sarah would advise other wives of children of coaches to try to the enjoy every day focusing on the positive. There will always be people who offer advice as to how a coach can do better. She says to smile through it and be thankful.”
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