Former NFL wide receiver and one of the top Rio Grande Valley players of the 1990s, Henry Jamaar Taylor, has been hired to be the next Head Football Coach and Athletic Coordinator at McAllen ISD’s James “Nikki” Rowe High School.
“We did an extensive search and Coach Taylor’s name rose to the top,” McAllen ISD Superintendent Dr. René Gutiérrez said. “He has played at the highest levels of football, knows the game well, and, more importantly, is dedicated to creating pathways to success for the student-athletes in his programs.”
Taylor’s hiring was approved by the McAllen ISD School Board on Friday, January 17.
Taylor will bring 15 years of coaching experience to Rowe. He will join the Warriors from Weslaco East High where he served as the Offensive Co-Coordinator for the Wildcats during the 2024 football season. He also held Offensive Coordinator positions at Edinburg Vela High (2018-24) and PSJA High (2017-18).
In Edinburg, he helped the SaberCats to the playoffs in three straight seasons, including 2021 when the SaberCats set a school record for points scored in a season and advanced to the third round of the state playoffs.
In addition to Offensive Coordinator duties, his career includes stints as a Special Teams Coordinator, Strength and Conditioning Coordinator for football, Passing Game Coordinator, Wide Receivers Coach, Powerlifting Coach plus Track and Field Coach.
From 2011-17, he was the owner and operator of the Taylor Sports and Human Performance Lab in McAllen.
Taylor was one of the top wide receivers in the Valley for the Mission High Eagles in the late 1990s. After graduating from Mission High in 1999, he played at Texas A&M University before playing two seasons with the NFL’s New York Giants in 2004 and 2005.
He has an extensive background in philanthropy with Capable Kids Foundation, the Boys and Girls Club of McAllen and the Boys and Girls Club of Mission.