Eric Taylor (portrayed by Kyle Chandler) is a major character on the Friday Night Lights television series.Eric is currently the head football coach of the Pemberton Pioneers in Philadelphia. Taylor is the former head coach of the Dillon Panthers and East Dillon Lions. Considered one of the greatest high school coaches in the history of Texas, Taylor led both the Panthers and the Lions to state championships in 2006 and 2010, respectively. Eric is married to Tami Taylor and is the father of Julie and Gracie Belle Taylor.
Personality and Traits[]
Coach Taylor epitomizes the ideal football coach. He is tough, commands respect, and is an excellent motivator. But his true strength lies in his ability to connect with and care for his players. As his wife puts it, he is "an educator first and a molder of men." Taylor may not always make the right decision, but he always makes them with the right intentions.
While Taylor is a strict and disciplined coach, he has a strong moral code and believes in what's doing what's best for both the team and the individual player. On multiple occasions, Taylor has been confronted with a personal dilemma related to a player and has resolved the problem individually rather than treating it like a team problem. In particular, Taylor goes out of his way to make sure that Smash can have a future in football, Matt can have a stable personal life while dating his daughter, and ensuring Tim has a place to stay and a supportive family. Taylor treats his team like a family- everyone supports each other or nobody succeeds. While Taylor is initially skeptical of his daughter's relationship with Matt, he ultimately acts as a father figure and treats Matt as a surrogate son. Although Taylor is tough and strict on the field, he is a compassionate and moral person who often makes difficult decisions for the sake of his family.
Appearance[]
Relationships[]
- Main article: Eric's Relationships
Eric, being the head coach at a high school, has formed a lot of relationships throughout the series, from his family, to his players to other coaches. He also becomes a mentor and a fatherly figure to Riggins, Saracen, Williams, and Howard, all of whom lack a stable father in their lives.
Tami Taylor[]
Coach Taylor's wife is a strong and independent woman who often acts as his sounding board when he is pressed with a hard decision. She and the coach share a very healthy marriage that, although occasionally peppered with disagreements, are rooted in love, trust, honesty, and compromise.
Julie Taylor[]
Gracie Bell Taylor[]
Appearances[]
| Season 1 | |
| Pilot | Debut |
| Eyes Wide Open | Appears |
| Wind Sprints | Appears |
| Who's Your Daddy? | Appears |
| Git'er Done | Appears |
| El Accidente | Appears |
| Homecoming | Appears |
| Crossing the Line | Appears |
| Full Hearts | Appears |
| It's Different for Girls | Appears |
| Nevermind | Appears |
| What to Do While You're Waiting | Appears |
| Little Girl I Wanna Marry You | Appears |
| Upping the Ante | Appears |
| Blinders | Appears |
| Black Eyes and Broken Hearts | Appears |
| I Think We Should Have Sex | Appears |
| Extended Families | Appears |
| Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes | Appears |
| Mud Bowl | Appears |
| Best Laid Plans | Appears |
| State | Appears |
| Season 2 | |
| Last Days of Summer | Appears |
| Bad Ideas | Appears |
| Are You Ready for Friday Night? | Appears |
| Backfire | Appears |
| Let's Get It On | Appears |
| How Did I Get Here? | Appears |
| Pantherama! | Appears |
| Seeing Other People | Appears |
| The Confession | Appears |
| There Goes the Neighborhood | Appears |
| Jumping the Gun | Appears |
| Who Do You Think You Are? | Appears |
| Humble Pie | Appears |
| Leave No One Behind | Appears |
| May the Best Man Win | Appears |
| Season 3 | |
| I Knew You When | Appears |
| Tami Knows Best | Appears |
| How the Other Half Lives | Appears |
| Hello, Goodbye | Appears |
| Every Rose Has Its Thorn | Appears |
| It Ain't Easy Being J.D. McCoy | Appears |
| Keeping Up Appearances | Appears |
| New York, New York | Appears |
| Game of the Week | Appears |
| The Giving Tree | Appears |
| A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall | Appears |
| Underdogs | Appears |
| Tomorrow Blues | Appears |
| Season 4 | |
| East of Dillon | Appears |
| After the Fall | Appears |
| In the Skin of a Lion | Appears |
| A Sort of Homecoming | Appears |
| The Son | Appears |
| Stay | Appears |
| In the Bag | Appears |
| Toilet Bowl | Appears |
| The Lights in Carroll Park | Appears |
| I Can't | Appears |
| Injury List | Appears |
| Laboring | Appears |
| Thanksgiving | Appears |
| Season 5 | |
| Expectations | Appears |
| On the Outside Looking In | Appears |
| The Right Hand of the Father | Appears |
| Keep Looking | Appears |
| Kingdom | Appears |
| Swerve | Appears |
| Perfect Record | Appears |
| Fracture | Appears |
| Gut Check | Appears |
| Don't Go | Appears |
| The March | Appears |
| Texas Whatever | Appears |
| Always | Final |
Quotes[]
- First Line: (to Tommy Hayskins) "Tommy? Welcome." - Pilot
- Final Line: (to Tami Taylor): "Yeah. Let's go." - Always
- (to the Panthers) "Every man at some point in his life is going to lose a battle. He is going to fight and he is going to lose. But what makes him a man is at the midst of that battle he does not lose himself. This game is not over, this battle is not over." - State
- (to Tami) "I think I told that kid to get our daughter in the backseat of a car." - Who's Your Daddy?