Pete Hughes calls Kansas State AD Gene Taylor “the best he ever met”

“There’s nobody like him in college sports,” Hughes said. “I’ve been through a lot and seen a lot of leadership styles, but I’ve never met a guy like him. That was clear the day I met him about this job. My name was attached to another job and after meeting Gene, I told my wife that ‘that’s where we’re going’ and that it’s about people and relationships and he’s one of the best guys I’ve ever met in this position.”

Taylor has been a consistent factor in the meteoric rise of Kansas State’s track and field team, playing a key role in the hiring of Hughes, football coach Chris Klieman, basketball coach Jerome Tang, volleyball coach Jason Mansfield and many others.

“It all starts at the top, it all comes from leadership,” Hughes continued. “It’s no accident that all of our programs are doing well across the board. There is one common denominator, and that is our athletic director. Because he treats people fairly, he is approachable; he will vehemently defend and vehemently oppose his coaches and he never makes his decisions through social media or message boards. He doesn’t form his opinions that way. He forms his opinions with the people he’s hired. That’s refreshing and that’s not very common at this level.”