It’s a ‘new-old opportunity’ for Taylor in return to BHS
A former Bearden High School star football player (Class of 1994) who was good enough to play college ball at Tennessee Tech (Class of 1998), Brad Taylor comes back home for a fourth time — beginning his second stint as Bulldogs football head coach in 2025.
“This is a new-old opportunity that I’m excited about, and I can’t wait to get started,” said Taylor, offensive coordinator at BHS from 2001 through 2004 who, after one season as an assistant coach at CAK, returned as offensive coordinator in 2006 before taking over as Bulldogs head coach in 2007.
“Obviously, Bearden is home to me as a graduate, and then also as a former coach as well,” Taylor said.
“I think Bearden is a great place; it’s a great school with great leadership, and it has a community around it that takes a lot of pride in it, so it’s a special place,” he added.
“Coach Taylor does a tremendous job in leading and developing young men of character as a football coach,” BHS athletic director Morgan Shinlever said. “... He is a proven winner who places an emphasis on player development both on and off the football field.”
In his first season, Taylor led his 2007 Bulldogs to what is probably the program’s best season in school history — reaching what was then the Division I-5A (biggest level) state semifinals (12-2 record) before losing in controversial fashion to eventual state champ Smyrna. Taylor was head man at BHS through the 2013 season.
“During this time, he was responsible for the most successful run in Bearden High School football, posting a winning percentage of 66 percent with 54 wins and 28 losses,” Shinlever said. “Under coach Taylor’s tutelage, the Bulldogs made six consecutive playoff appearances, (also) advancing to the state quarterfinals in 2010, only to be eliminated by the eventual state champion (Maryville).”
Taylor was named Knoxville Prep Extra Coach of the Year in 2007 (Region 1-5A co-champs) and Region 1-5A Coach of the Year in 2008. He also was Tennessee Titans Coach of the Week in 2012’s week seven.
“During coach Taylor’s storied first run as Bulldogs head coach, BHS had 17 student-athletes sign college football scholarships, 12 All-State players, an ESPN sophomore All-American in 2008 and Bearden’s only Mr. Football winner, which was 2010 (Devrin Young, University of Tennessee signee),” Shinlever said.
After taking one year off from coaching (2014), then serving as an assistant coach at South-Doyle High in 2015, Taylor became head coach at Karns High School in 2016, where he led the Beavers for seven seasons before taking on supervisory and administrative work at KHS the past two school years without coaching.
“I’ve enjoyed my time at Karns; everybody in the Karns community has been really, really good to me,” the new BHS boss said. “And we were able to enjoy a little bit of success at times.”
