Joni Taylor is leaving her job as the head coach of one Southeastern Conference women's basketball program to take charge of another one some 900 miles away.
Georgia announced Wednesday that Taylor, a former Lady Bulldogs assistant who was promoted in 2015 after longtime head coach Andy Landers retired, is leaving Athens for Texas A&M. In College Station, Taylor replaces Gary Blair, who retired after nearly two decades as the Aggies' coach and led them to the national title in 2011.
Taylor compiled a 140-75 record in her seven seasons as head coach at Georgia, including a 62-48 mark in the SEC. She guided the Lady Dogs to four appearances in the NCAA tournament but never advanced past the second round.
Texas A&M slumped to 14-15 in Blair's final season, including a 4-12 record in conference play this year, and missed the NCAA tourney for the first time since 2005. Still, Taylor stressed the program's historical excellence under Blair, which included eight runs to at least the Sweet 16.
"You are talking about a program that is rich with tradition and an institution that leads not only in the SEC, but in the country," Taylor said in a statement released by Texas A&M. "I am excited to get there and meet the team and immerse myself and our family into Aggieland."
The 43-year-old Taylor, a Mississippi native who played at Alabama and has been an assistant for the Crimson Tide, LSU, Louisiana Tech and Troy, said she has known Blair since her college days on the court, when he was coaching at Arkansas. Blair spent 10 seasons with the Razorbacks before moving to Texas A&M in 2003.
"The way he led young women on and off the court and was a steward of our game is something I have always admired," Taylor said. "He created a national championship program during his 19 years at A&M - to be able to continue that legacy is an honor."
Replacing an accomplished coach is not new to Taylor. Andy Landers built Georgia into an SEC and national powerhouse over a 36-year career. The Lady Bulldogs made 31 NCAA tourney appearances under Landers, including five Final Fours and two runs to the title game. They lost both times, leaving a national championship as the only major vacancy on Landers' record.
The program slipped a bit in Landers' final years before he handed off the job to Taylor, who had some promising seasons but failed to get the Lady Dogs back to the levels they reached under Landers.
"I want to personally thank Joni for being a great ambassador at the University of Georgia," athletic director Josh Brooks said in a statement released Wednesday. "Her impact left a lasting impression on this program."
Brooks said he has already started the search for the coach who will become just the third person to hold the post in 44 seasons.
He already went through a search for a new men's basketball coach this month, hiring Florida's Mike White to take over the Bulldogs after the firing of Tom Crean.
"We are committed to competing for championships and postseason success in each of our 21 sports," Brooks said. "I am confident we will find the best person to help us achieve that mission and build on the great tradition of Georgia Lady Bulldog basketball."
Taylor said she was drawn to Texas A&M largely because of the commitment of athletic director Ross Bjork to women's sports.
"There are a lot of great coaches in this business," Taylor said. "For them to target me and say that I am the one they want to be the leader of this great program is incredibly humbling."
In a released statement, Bjork said he wanted someone who would build on the success of Blair's tenure.
"It was so important that we found the right leader and person who would exemplify these same qualities and someone who understood what being an Aggie is all about," Bjork said. "The more we got to know Coach Taylor, it became crystal clear that she is the right coach to lead our program into this new era of Aggie basketball."