Willie Taggart has been named football coach at Western Kentucky. Taggart, currently in his third season as running backs coach at Stanford, previously spent eight seasons as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky from 1999-2006 and served as co-offensive coordinator for the school’s 2002 Football Championship Subdivision title team. A standout player at quarterback who set 11 school records for the Hilltoppers from 1995-98, Taggart is one of only four players in the school’s 91-year football history to have his jersey retired. He becomes Western Kentucky’s 17th head football coach, but only the seventh since 1948.

Other transactions

Baseball – East Carolina extended the contract of baseball coach Billy Godwin through the 2014 season.

Women’s basketball – Notre Dame (Maryland) appointed Kirsten Russell as interim women’s basketball coach, effectively immediately.

Football – Georgia Southern fired football coach Chris Hatcher … Nicholls State released football coach Jay Thomas, effective November 27 … Roger Hughes was let go at Princeton … Indianapolis promoted defensive coordinator Bob Bartolomeo to head coach.

Deaths

Russ DeVette, who taught and coached at Hope from 1948 until retiring in 1988 as professor emeritus of physical education, died on Monday. DeVette was a basketball player at Hope and was the first recipient of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s most valuable player award.