While it’s no secret that Kansas State AD Gene Taylor is one of the nation’s best at running a successful college athletics program, Kansas State head baseball coach Pete Hughes raved about his boss and hammered home what makes him so special.
“There’s no one like him in major college athletics,” Hughes said. “I’ve been around the block, and I’ve been exposed to many styles of leadership, but I have never been around a guy like this. It was quite evident the day I met with him about this job. My name was involved with another job, and I told my wife after I met with Gene that ‘this is where we’re going to go,’ and it’s about people and relationships, and that’s one of the best guys I’ve ever met in that position.”
Taylor has been a consistent factor in the meteoric rise of Kansas State athletics and was an integral piece in the hiring process of Hughes, football coach Chris Klieman, basketball coach Jerome Tang, volleyball coach Jason Mansfield, and many more.
“Everything starts from the top; it all comes from leadership,” Hughes continued. “It’s not a coincidence that all our programs are doing well across the board. There’s one common denominator, it’s our athletic director. Because he treats people fairly, he’s accessible; he will fight and defend his coaches fiercely, and he’s never making decisions through social media or message boards. He’s not forming his opinions that way. He’s forming his opinions with the people he hired. That is refreshing, and that is not very common at that level.”
