Cookeville Names Taylor Hennigan New Head Football Coach

Cookeville High School has named one of their own as their new head football coach. Taylor Hennigan was introduced the program’s new coach Thursday afternoon, succeeding Jimmy Maynord, who retired from coaching at the conclusion of the 2021 regular season. You can watch the announcement here.

Hennigan

Hennigan, 31, a former Cookeville High School player, comes home after one season as an assistant coach at Gardner-Webb University In Boiling Springs, NC. Hennigan served as the Runnin’ Bulldogs’ Special Teams Coordinator and cornerbacks coach. He joined Gardner-Webb after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Tennessee Tech, his collegiate alma mater. He worked with special teams and outside linebackers for the Golden Eagles, helping Tech to one of the biggest national turnarounds in the FCS division in 2019.

Hennigan also coached in the high school ranks at White County High School, and was a graduate assistant under Coach Watson Brown at TTU for a stint after college graduation in 2013.

“Coach Hennigan will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to our football program,” stated CHS Athletic Director Steven Robbins, in a prepared statement. “His energy, passion and enthusiasm for the game of football and students is evident, and we believe the student-athletes will thrive under his leadership.

A versatile athlete, Hennigan was a part of Tennessee Tech’s 2011 Ohio Valley Conference Championship run. Over his four-year career, he played receiver, safety and long snapper. While in high school, Hennigan played quarterback and five other positions as a three-year starter at Cookeville.

Coaching runs in the family for Hennigan, whose father, Mike Hennigan, served as Tennessee Tech’s head coach from 1996-2005. Prior to becoming head coach, Hennigan served as Tech’s defensive coordinator from 1986-1995. Mike Hennigan was a standout collegiate player at Tennessee Tech, as he helped lead the Golden Eagles to the OVC title in 1972, prior to spending several years with the Detroit Lions and New York Jets in the NFL.