and became the first CIAA team in history to win 12 games in a season. In 1994, Hampton broke the CIAA total offense record with 5,575 yards and became the first CIAA team to average more than 500 yards of total offense per game. By the end of the 1994 season, Hampton had won 23 straight games against CIAA opponents. In recognition of his achievement, Taylor selected as College Coach of the Year in Virginia for 1994 by the Portsmouth Sports Club. In 1995, Hampton moved up to NCAA Division I-AA (now known as Division I FCS) play and joined the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in 1996. Taylor continued to win at the Division I-AA level and became "the most successful football coach in Hampton history." Taylor's Hampton teams won five black college national championships (1994, 1997, 2004, 2005, and 2006), eight conference titles (three in the CIAA and five in the MEAC), the 1999 Heritage Bowl, and seven trips to the NCAA playoffs. He was also named MEAC Coach of the Year for three straight years from 2004 to 2006. The seniors on Taylor's 2006 team won three consecutive black college national championships. Taylor called the 2006 squad the best in Hampton history. He said, "Start by looking at what they've accomplished as a group. The seniors are 22–2 in the conference the past three seasons. They are 31–4 overall during that time and 38–8 for the four years. Because of their record, they went onto the field with a bull's-eye on our back every game this year. The kids survived that onslaught and got better, while dealing with a higher number of injuries than ever before." In 2004, a New Jersey newspaper published a feature story on Taylor. Hampton athletic director Dennis Thomas asserted that Taylor had earned his chance to coach a major Division I-A program, but noted that he wouldn't be able to name a black coach out of a black university getting a chance to be a big-time college football coach, "It's never happened. What's that telling you?" Taylor insisted that the lack of offers did not eat at him or leave him bitter. He noted:"I've always seen coaching more about being a ministry than about X's and O's. I want to make a difference, and I think I do that where I'm coaching now. You won't hear me bellyache. You can do anything in