Things I know, and things I think I know:
He’s risen quickly in his profession.
But Zac Taylor, 38, always will remember where he came from. He’s that type.
He’s certainly the type that’ll forever keep Aaron Flores in his thoughts.
As everything’s unfolded for Taylor in an almost dreamlike fashion in recent weeks — the Cincinnati Bengals’ run through the NFL playoffs and all that entails — it’s safe to say Flores has passed through his mind at some point, and perhaps often.
Flores was the offensive coordinator at Butler County (Kansas) Community College in 2004 when Taylor, as the Grizzlies’ quarterback, led them to an 11-1 season and a berth in the NJCAA national championship game.
“Aaron Flores is a very, very important guy to Zac,” says long-time Coffeyville (Kansas) Community College assistant Dickie Rolls, who was influential in Taylor’s life in a more roundabout way.
People are also reading…
Flores, a double-lung transplant recipient, died in January of 2021 from complications due to COVID-19, less than two weeks after his 50th birthday. His most notable pupil is Taylor, the former Butler and Husker QB who is now head coach of the Bengals.
During Zac’s introductory press conference in Cincinnati in February 2019, he mentioned Flores by name as a mentor and the one who inspired him to become a football coach.
“He was really the first one that gave me the confidence that I needed,” says Taylor, whose Bengals fell to the Rams 23-20 in Sunday’s Super Bowl in Inglewood, California.
Says Rolls: “Aaron was one of Zac’s best buddies in life.”
Rolls is part of the story in part because he was an assistant at Coffeyville in 2004 when Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan and Husker assistant Bill Busch arrived in town to recruit Michael Machen, a pro-style quarterback on Coffeyville’s roster. Keep in mind, Butler and Coffeyville were rivals. Heated rivals.
“I want to say this respectfully: That damned Zac Taylor beat our ass every time,” Rolls told me recently.
At any rate, Rolls was manning the Coffeyville coaches’ offices that faithful day in 2004 when Callahan and Busch appeared to inquire about the 6-foot-6, 240-pound Machen.
“Our kid could throw it 200 miles,” Rolls says. “He was really, really good. When Nebraska’s coaches came here, we hugged it up and did all that. But I finally looked at coach Callahan and said, ‘Coach, I don’t know you, but Bill Busch is a good friend of mine. Now, you guys can recruit our guy Machen if you want, but here’s what I’ll tell you: That kid (Taylor) over at Butler County is the best I’ve seen.’
“I told them, ‘Now, he don’t look nothing like our kid. He don’t look the part. … ’”
But Rolls watched as the 6-1, 205-pound Taylor continually took apart a talented Coffeyville secondary. Talented? Well, it had three future NFL defenders in Johnathan Joseph, Dashon Goldson and Reggie Nelson.
“These three cats were always trying to get the ball, and Zac Taylor’s basically putting it where they can’t get it and taking them down the field,” Rolls recalls.
“So, I’m telling Callahan all this and he kind of looked at Busch like, ‘Is this guy for real?’”
Turns out, Rolls was being real. Long story short, Taylor was 17-9 as Nebraska’s starting quarterback in 2005 and 2006, and in 2006 was named Big 12 offensive player of the year.
But Rolls keeps turning the conversation back to Flores, who was Butler’s offensive coordinator from 2001 to 2010. During that period, Butler won 90% of its games (105-12), reached the national championship game six times, and won three national titles.
Flores went on to become head coach at Coffeyville, guiding the program for eight seasons before his death.
Because of his debilitating lung condition, Flores often needed a golf cart, a wireless voice amplifier and an oxygen tank just to make it through a practice.
He never complained, his friends say.
In a sense, Rolls gets credit for Nebraska pursuing Taylor.
“But it all ends up being Aaron Flores who really gets the credit,” Rolls says. “I mean, Zac can tell you what Aaron Flores meant to him at Butler County.”
I haven’t gotten a chance to ask Taylor about Flores. Zac’s been a little busy lately, if you know what I mean.
In quiet moments, I’m guessing Zac thinks of Flores, probably often.
* You’ve perhaps noticed Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts’ recent comments in which he turns up the emphasis on “competitive excellence” throughout his department. He sounds serious about it.
Serious enough to part ways with Fred Hoiberg and pay that unwieldy buyout ($18.5 million)?
I’m guessing at this point, a lot of Husker fans would understand if Alberts made the move, hefty price tag and all. Am I wrong?
* Along those lines, it was sort of interesting to watch Nebraska’s remarkable level of ineptitude for much of Sunday’s game. I genuinely wondered if Iowa players were startled by how easy they had it.
* If I keep blurting out “Stuck on You” during the next few days, you’ll surely understand.
Pringles comes with the best Super Bowl commercial.
Lionel Richie always sounds perfect.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login