The Buchtelite

Issue date: 10/23/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Jeff Harwell / Zips Sports Photography

Michael Taggart often watches Akron's road football games alone, scrutinizing each Zips play and animatedly voicing his opinion on the team's execution.

Taggart has seen them all run countless times before - in practice.

The University of Akron sophomore is in his first season as a walk-on member of the Zips' scout team. Since scout team players rarely travel with the team's active roster, Taggart and the rest of the practice squad are relegated to the role of fans when the Zips hit the road.

"I usually watch them alone, because nobody really likes to watch them with me because of how I react," Taggart said when asked about his usual arrangement to watch road contests. "Sometimes, I try not to watch the games as much. I find myself frustrated sometimes because I wish I was out there."

That desire to be out there with the Zips led Taggart to tryout for the Zips at the beginning of this season. Taggart, a three-year starter and second-team All-Suburban League selection his senior year at Green High School, took the first step toward reaching his dream of playing college football when he earned a spot on UA's team as a non-scholarship walk-on.

"It was a great feeling, being able to know that I made it, because it was always a dream to (play) at the college level," Taggart said. "Being able to know that I am a college football player has always been a dream just because not everyone can play at the next level."

While admitting that he still has much more to accomplish before obtaining an active roster spot, Taggart said that he relishes the opportunity to work his way up from the bottom of the depth chart.

"I like starting from the bottom up," he said. "It shows that I have to do a lot more work, rather than just going in and maybe messing up my first year. I like to learn new things."

Taggart said that one of the major drawbacks of being a member of the scout team is that people outside the team do not give scout team players as much respect as those Zips that they see on the field on Saturdays, but that the lack of respect fuels him to become better and showcase his abilities whenever he's given the opportunity.

"I like having everybody looking down on you and just looking over you, because it means you have to prove you're there for a reason and you want to be there," Taggart said. "It makes it better to know that you just have to do things to show who you really are."

Continued...

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