The traveling Taylors
Zac Taylor's family of OU fans has grown used to trips to Lincoln

By George Schroeder

Published: October 26, 2006

LINCOLN, Neb. — Spying the button on her jacket — "Zac Taylor #13" — the boy shyly approaches Julie Taylor.

"Your son," he says, "played a great game."

It is late Saturday afternoon. They are standing in line outside a restaurant in the Haymarket district, a few blocks from Memorial Stadium, where an hour or so earlier, a late field goal lifted Texas to a 22-20 win over the Huskers.

Julie Taylor smiles at the boy, who might be 10 years old. She points to the big guy next to her, his face hidden inside a gray hoodie.

The boy's eyes widen.

"Holy cow!"

Zac and Julie Taylor can't help themselves; they break into laughter. Although by now, they're used to the reaction — this is life for Zac Taylor, Huskers quarterback — they're still getting used to this long, strange trip from Norman to Nebraska.

In two football seasons, the Taylor family has settled into a familiar routine. Six and a half hours, give or take, gets them to Lincoln on fall weekends. The scenic route is 10 minutes longer — unless you get stuck behind a farmer — but it seems like the right route, considering.

The Taylors have come to grips with the idea their son, who grew up dreaming of becoming a Sooner like his father, is instead a Husker hero. They're relishing the experience, savoring every moment of his senior season.

And yet, it's still a bit surreal.

"Every trip, we just pinch ourselves, because it could not have worked out better," says Sherwood Taylor, Zac's father and a former OU defensive back and assistant coach. "We could not have found a better place."

Another shade of red The 442-mile journey begins, as always, at the Taylors' home on Cynthia Circle in south Norman.

Appropriate, since this is where Sherwood and Julie have raised their four kids. From birth, they've been Sooner fans. And that's appropriate, as well, since Sherwood played and later coached at OU.

Hence, the weird collision of decals on the rear window of Julie's SUV. Norman High and OU have long been a part of the family's picture. The third decal — Nebraska football — is more recent. Also a new touch: The flag with the bright red "N" that flies from the side of the house.

At midmorning Friday, the Taylors apologize for running just a bit late, as always. No problem, of course. It's the way Zac's college football career started, too — and it's turned out just fine, hasn't it?

Shortly before 11 a.m., the SUV heads north. Sherwood and Julie are joined by Caroline Winfrey, a recent Norman High graduate who is dating their younger son, Press. Daughters Kathryn and Quincy are staying home.

Three hours later, the Taylors pull into the Kansas hamlet of El Dorado, just up the turnpike from Wichita. This is the temporary home of Press, a redshirting freshman on the Butler County Community College football team, hoping to follow in his older brother's footsteps.

It was here, not quite two years ago, that Nebraska found itself a quarterback. And as Nebraska has returned to winning, Taylor has become a Husker hero.

That moment with the young fan? It happens all the time, everywhere. As quarterback for the Big Red, Zac is one of the most easily recognizable people in the state.

Not so long ago, Zac pulled up to a drive-through window to find a half-dozen restaurant employees huddled near the register. Apparently, they had recognized his voice when he ordered.

"You get used to it," Zac says. "Sometimes, you wish it wouldn't happen."

Don't get him wrong, though. He wouldn't trade this journey for anything.

And neither would the rest of the family. Although Sherwood and Julie still refer to OU and the Sooners as "us," "our" and "we" — as happened several times last Friday night, when they dined at Lincoln landmark Misty's with a group of Nebraska players' parents — they talk the same way about Nebraska and the Huskers.

Saturday morning, the temperature hovers in the mid-30s. A stiff wind blows from the north. Mist, then snow, falls from low, gray clouds. It's football time in Nebraska.

And this is a huge game, even in a stadium where they're all big. Fifth-ranked Texas represents a chance for the Huskers to make a statement, to announce their return to college football's elite level.

From their midfield perch — section 6, rows 17 and 18 — behind the Huskers bench, the heavily bundled Taylors survey the scene. More than 80,000 fans, most in vibrant red, fill the old stadium. More than a few wear jerseys with Zac's number 13.

For much of the day, Sherwood stands stoically, in stark contrast to Julie. Sometimes, Mom covers her face with her hands. Other times, she heads for the exit, unable to watch.

"C'mon, ‘Buddy'! Go!" she yells as Zac rolls out. And then, when he is hit hard: "Oh!"

But moments later, after a long pass: "Yes!"

Nebraska scores twice in the fourth quarter, taking the lead. And for a while, it appears the Huskers will achieve the most significant win of Bill Callahan's three seasons.

But the football bounces funny, and the Longhorns escape with the win. Still, Zac and the Huskers trudge off the field to a standing ovation from their fans.

Later, after answering reporters' questions, Zac slips through a side door, shaking hands with a security guard. Outside, his family greets him with smiles and hugs.

Sherwood, Julie, Press and Caroline have been joined by Zac's uncle, Mike Anderson and cousins Taylor and Nick. Together, they head for the exit, a sort of moving huddle. After a short detour when Texas coach Mack Brown flags Zac down for a brief visit and congratulations, they walk several blocks to the Haymarket district, continuing a new tradition.

But 30 minutes later, the line outside the crowded restaurant hasn't moved. No one's leaving, and no one's getting inside until someone does.

Zac makes a call, orders a half-dozen large pizzas. And back at his apartment, which he shares with three other Huskers, he relaxes with his family, watching football and reminiscing.

But the surreal life is never far from the surface. Consider this exchange between Zac and his grandmother, Peggy Clark.

Clark: "Did you see the Jumbotron when they showed the sign that said ‘Marry Me Zac'?"

Zac either saw it, or he heard about it. But Mimi isn't quite finished. She applies the needle.

"Did you see the guy who was holding it?"

Sunday morning, the family reconvenes for breakfast, lingering long over pancakes and omelets. Sherwood, Zac and his girlfriend, Sarah Sherman, check out the Sunday sports pages, laughing over the photo of Zac mashed beneath a giant Texas sacker.

"It looks like you're getting crushed," Sherwood tells his son.

Nursing a sore hip and various other bruises, Zac admits Texas was the roughest game, in terms of physical toll, he's played this year. But he's not complaining.

And forget football.

Much of the table talk is of photos taken the night before, when Zac and Press and their girlfriends attended a Halloween party. Zac's "Flavor Flav" costume is panned; Press' "Dog the Bounty Hunter" get-up is praised.

Meanwhile, from nearby booths and the restaurant lobby, people steal glances at the Taylors. Hey, isn't that Zac Taylor? Look, there's Zac Taylor. Who's that he's with?

A teenage girl takes his picture with her cell phone, pretending all the while to talk into it. An older man tells Zac how proud "we all are."

A few minutes before noon, Zac hugs Sherwood and Julie, then climbs into his truck, headed for the Nebraska football complex and treatment for those bumps and bruises.

Meanwhile, the Taylors point south, reversing their journey. They pass through Beatrice, Neb., and then the Kansas towns of Marysville and Blue Rapids. They drop off Press in El Dorado, and roll homeward to Norman.

Already, they're planning the next weekend's shorter drive to Stillwater, where they'll tailgate and cheer on their Huskers.

This strange trip?

"It's not so weird anymore," Sherwood says.