State trooper who protects Texas Aggies’ coach has his dream job
When the cannon went off signaling the start of halftime, trooper Clay Taylor jumped into gear, leading coach Kevin Sumlin to a brief interview on the field before jogging into the locker room.
He wasn’t hard to miss on a recent Saturday as he wore a neon yellow raincoat, battling the elements at Sumlin’s side.
A cold, wet matchup against the Missouri Tigers was no different than any other game for Taylor. He did for Sumlin what he’s done for every Aggie football coach since R.C. Slocum in 2001.
“I’m there for protection, there’s no doubt about that,” Clay said of his role as Sumlin’s security detail.
“People treat coaches as celebrities,” he said “With that celebrity come good things and bad things. People are always in a better mood when we win than when we lose.”
Meeting the team at their hotel room, leading the coach through Spirit Walk, onto the field and off, Taylor has only missed one game since taking on the job. He even travels to away games with the team, taking days off from his duties as a recruiter for the Texas Department of Public Safety.
“The only game I’ve missed was in the [coach Dennis] Franchione tenure. I was on hurricane assignment during Rita,” said the 33-year veteran law enforcement officer. “They proved they don’t need me, though, because they won that game.”
An Aggie from the Class of 1988, Taylor got the job as the coach’s protector 13 years ago after working security for the Texas Longhorns during one of their trips to Aggieland.
“Being an Aggie, there’s not a better gig in town than to get to work with people you like and for the university you love and have the football on top of it,” he said.
He gives former coach Slocum the credit for his current position.
“R.C. and I are still friends,” Taylor said. “I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for him. He gave me my start.”
Slocum called Taylor a “class act.”
“I appreciate him for what he does for the state of Texas and A&M football,” he said, noting that he never encountered any security issues during his tenure thanks to Taylor’s work.
While taking his job very seriously, always staying within view of the coach, Taylor does have the opportunity to witness the action on the field from the sideline.
“I’m still a fan just like everybody else. It’s just that I’m working while I’m there,” he said.
Coming up on a decade-and-a-half in the position, Taylor has no immediate plans to step down.
“I'll try to outlast Billy Pickard [who worked for the university for more than 50 years],” he said with a chuckle.
This story was originally published December 4, 2014 at 12:04 PM with the headline "State trooper who protects Texas Aggies’ coach has his dream job."