After the 2011 season saw the Morgan Academy Senators football team advance to the AISA Class AAA semifinals and the resignation of their head coach at the end of the season, the school was left looking for the program’s future leader.

But after an extensive search, the Senators are potentially looking at a smooth transition as the decision was made to make assistant coach Bob Taylor the new head football coach and athletic director at Morgan Academy.

Morgan Academy headmaster Randy Skipper said the coaching search was conducted by himself and a search committee made up of three members of Morgan’s board and the president of the booster club.

“This year we set up a search committee for the head football coach and athletic director here and we received many resumes,” Skipper said. “Myself and the search committee looked at it and came up with a short list, and we decided to go with Bob Taylor, who has been here as head baseball, head basketball and assistant football coach.”

Taylor’s football coaching experience includes a five-year head coaching stint at The Lakeside School in Eufaula, a year at West Alabama Prep and five years at Sumter Academy.

Taylor led his teams to five playoff appearances during that time including trips to the AISA state semifinals.

That experience and success is one of the reasons Skipper said Taylor was selected to continue the strong tradition at Morgan.

“Looking at his body of work since he’s been here, his past resume where he had been head football coach and athletic director at some other AISA schools, we felt that he had earned the right to take over the position as head football coach and athletic director here at Morgan Academy,” Skipper said.