Carla Taylor - Head Coach - Staff Directory - Weber State University Athletics

Staff Directory

Carla Taylor

Title:
Head Coach

Carla Taylor was the head coach of Weber State women's basketball for 23 years from 1988-2011. She is Weber State's all-time leader in wins with 308 and is second in Big Sky Conference history in career wins. She also won 180 Big Sky Conference games, also the second-most in conference history. She led Weber State to two Big Sky Championships and two trips to the NCAA Tournament. She was also a three-time Big Sky Coach of the Year.

Taylor was associated with the Wildcat women’s basketball team for over 27 years as a player and coach. She produced 23 All-Big Sky First Team selections and five District 7 Kodak All-Americans. In 22 seasons as head coach Taylor has amassed a career record of 308-341 at Weber State. She was 180-170 all-time in Big Sky Conference games.

Carla Taylor’s (CT) loyalties to Weber State began when she signed her letter of intent to play for the Wildcats and continued as she was hired as one of the youngest head coaches in Division I at the age of 26 in 1988.

Taylor was a player and two-time team captain from 1980-84. She was a four-year starter and averaged 10.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, despite having two ACL reconstructive knee surgeries during her playing career.

She was a member of the 1982 Wildcat team that competed in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT). CT currently ranks 12th among the all-time scoring leaders at Weber State with 1,122 career points. She is also ninth all-time in assists with 301 in her career for an average of 2.81 per game. In 1984, Taylor was the Gold Watch recipient for the Senior Female Outstanding Career Award at Weber State.

Not only was Taylor a team captain for the women’s basketball team, she was also a member of the Wildcat track and field team. As a track and field athlete, Taylor qualified for, and competed in, the javelin at the 1982 NCAA Division II Track and Field Championship held in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Taylor’s success did not end with her playing career. In fact, it was just beginning. Prior to becoming the head coach at Weber State, she spent two years at Morgan High School in Morgan, Utah, teaching and coaching volleyball, basketball, and boys and girls track. Following her high school coaching career, Taylor spent a year at the University of Utah as an assistant basketball coach. She had previously spent a year there as a graduate assistant coach following her playing career.

In 1988-89, her first season as head-coach of Weber State, she had the best turnaround record in the nation, finishing with a record of 17-9 and were 10-6 in the Big Sky, finishing in a tie for third and making the Big Sky Conference Tournament. The Wildcats also qualified for post-season play in 1991.

The 1995-96 season marked one of the best in CT’s tenure and in the history of Weber State. Taylor was named Big Sky Conference Co-Coach of the Year after leading her team to the Big Sky Championship finals and a 17-12 record. After beating Eastern Washington in the quarterfinals and downing Boise State in overtime in the semifinals, the Wildcats ran out of steam, falling to Montana in the championship game. In the 1998-99 Big Sky season, the Wildcats looked to take the conference by storm as they won six of their first eight games. They were also being recognized nationally for their stingy team defense that ranked 24th in the nation with a 59 points allowed per game average. The ‘Cats finished the season losing five of the final nine conference games including a loss to Montana in the Big Sky Tournament, but showed that they were a team on the rise in the conference.

The 2001-02 season was a season of firsts for Taylor and the ‘Cats. They produced the first 20-win season, finishing with a record of 22-9. They also won their first Big Sky regular season championship (tied with Montana State), the first Big Sky Championship, and the first trip for the school to the NCAA tournament, losing to Stanford in the first round. Other firsts for WSU during the year were: First time to host a Big Sky Championship; First time to have a Wildcat player named the Big Sky Most Valuable Player (Stephanie Stanger); and the first time to have a Wildcat named as the Big Sky Tournament MVP (also Stanger).

The 2002-03 season was an encore to the previous year. The Wildcats put together a 19-8 regular season record, including an 11-3 conference record, which netted the team a Big Sky regular season co-championship with Montana State. For the second-straight year the ‘Cats hosted the conference tournament, and defeated Eastern Washington and Montana State to post their second-straight Big Sky title and another trip to the NCAA tournament where they faced Ohio State.

During the 2003-04 season the Wildcats finished with a 17-11 record last year and were 11-3 in Big Sky Conference action. In 2004-05 the Wildcats again finished with an 11-3 Big Sky regular season record for the fourth straight season. The Wildcats advanced to the tournament final before falling to Montana. Weber State posted a 21-8 overall record, the third best record in school history. The team was led by senior Julie Gjertsen who was named Big Sky Co-MVP.

In 2005-06 Taylor again led the Wildcats to the Big Sky Championship game. Weber State finished with a 15-15 record and a 7-7 conference mark to finish in fifth in the league standings. The ‘Cats defeated Eastern Washington in the first round and then defeated host Idaho State in the second round, to become the first team in conference history to defeat the No. 1 seed in the second round of the tournament. The ‘Cats fell to Northern Arizona in the championship game but advanced to the title game for the fourth time in the last five years. Also during the season she coached her 500th game at Weber State.

The Wildcats posted a 17-14 overall record during the 2006-07 season. WSU also finished 11-5 in Big Sky play, ending up in a tie for second place in the league standings. The Wildcats started the conference season 6-0, their best conference start in school history.
WSU advanced to their 14th overall appearance and 12th straight appearance at the Big Sky Tournament. The Wildcats beat Portland State in the First Round before losing to eventual tournament champion Idaho State in the Second Round.

As impressive as the Wildcat program has been on the court, it has been equally impressive off of it as well. The team has consistently been named to the WBCA Honor Roll of Top 25 Academic Teams and Taylor has produced 118 Big Sky Academic All-Conference selections.

In January 2005 Taylor was honored as recipient of the Athena Award, a national award program presented by the Women in Business committee of the Ogden/Weber Chamber of Commerce. Off the court, Taylor has served as a basketball clinician throughout the Northwest, and is actively involved in community speaking engagements. She has served as an Honorary Commander for the 388th Equipment Maintenance Squadron at Hill Air Force Base and flew in an F-16 in September 2006.

Taylor has served on the WBCA’s prestigious All-American selection committee for three separate terms. She has also served as the Big Sky Conference’s representative for two consecutive terms with the WBCA. She recently completed a second term on the Women in Business Executive Board. In 2006 Taylor served as a GOAL (Greater Ogden Athletes Legacy) Foundation member.

A native of North Powder, Oregon, Taylor received her bachelor’s degree in Physical Education, with minors in Health and History, from Weber State in 1984.