Our Story
In the fall of 2017, Coach Chris Cutcliffe, a second-year head football coach at Oxford High School, and Dr. Hunter Taylor, a new professor at the University of Mississippi, were introduced by a mutual friend, Dr. Andy Mullins. After connecting, Taylor shared his doctoral dissertation about six championship high school football programs from Texas, and Cutcliffe invited him into his program as an advisor.
The pair then started a practice of meeting weekly to collaborate on ways to make Cutcliffe’s football program better. Their consistent meetings (that continue to this very day) produced new plans that sought to better foster a family culture, develop future leaders, and maximize the program’s on-field potential.
After two years of working together, the 2019 football team captured the 6A State Championship and was named the #1 team in the state by Max Preps. This was the first football state championship in school history.
Soon afterwards, the pair began getting invited to speak about their work to audiences across the country from a variety of contexts. Almost all of their clients seemed to want answers to the same two questions: 1) How do I turn my group of employees into a team? 2) What are the actual benefits of turning my group of employees into a team?
Since they began their collective work of sharing their best practices, Coach & Doc launched a podcast, wrote a book, and have hosted in-person and virtual clinics for national audiences.
Most recently, Cutcliffe and Taylor launched two new ventures:
Taylor Sports Club – a live storytelling event featuring legendary sports figures from the SEC that takes place on the grounds of Taylor, Mississippi’s Plein Air neighborhood.
The Retreat – in the summer, the duo hosts an invitation-only, two-day retreat for a select group of College and High School Coaches from across the country. And in the winter, the duo conducts a one-day retreat for the business and education communities with a focus on serving Mississippi.
The Founders
-
Co-Founder, CEO
Dr. Hunter Taylor serves the University of Mississippi as a professor, but that only touches the surface of how he views his life’s vocation. He’s a leader, a storyteller, and the visionary behind the Coach & Doc brand. But at his core, he’s a coach.
When he’s not in work mode (or even when he is), you’ll likely see him with his beautiful wife, Brittany, and their three sons – Yates, Simms, and Knox.
-
Dr. Hunter A. Taylor is the founding director of the Mississippi Excellence in Coaching Project, which houses the Tomorrow’s 25 Coaching Fellowship. This innovative initiative, which partners the University of Mississippi (UM) with the Mississippi Association of Coaches (MAC) and the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA), is a year-long fellowship for a select group of 25 coaches from across the state who have demonstrated a positive, long-term commitment to the student-athletes in their communities. And in 2024, the coaching fellowship now also includes 25 coaches from the state of South Carolina.
In addition to How to Build a Thick Institution, that he co-authored with Coach Cutcliffe, Taylor released his second book, Draw the Line: Jeff Traylor, the Gilmer Buckeyes, and a Season Deep in the Heart of East Texas, in the summer of 2022. In it, he examines the impact a high school football staff made in three different rural East Texas communities over the course of 30 years. The book is told through the lens of current UTSA head football coach Jeff Traylor and his long-time colleagues.
In 2018, Taylor was one of 59 leaders from across the U.S. to be named a Presidential Leadership Scholar by the Bush Institute and the Clinton Foundation for his work in education. In 2022, nominated by his students at UM, Taylor was one of three finalists for Professor of the Year. And in 2023, he was identified as one of the state’s Top 40 Leaders Under the Age of 40 by the Mississippi Business Journal.
Originally from East Texas, Taylor and his family now call Oxford home.
-
BBA, The University of Texas at Austin, 2005
MAT, The University of Mississippi, 2008
EdD, Baylor University, 2017
-
Middle School, High School, College, & International
2006-08, Powell Middle School & Callaway High School (MS)
2009-10, Bishop O’Connell High School (VA)
2010-11, Trinity University (TX)
2011-13, Spring Hill High School (TX)
2013-16, Baylor University (TX)
2014-15 (Summer), Athletes in Action (Mexico & Puerto Rico)
2016-17, Arkansas State University (AR)
-
2008 Jackson City Champions* (Powell)
2009-10 Virginia Independent State Champions (O’Connell)
2010-11 SCAC Western Division Champions (Trinity)
2011-12 District, Bi-District, & Area Champions** (Spring Hill)
2013-16 Three NCAA Tournament Appearances, One Sweet 16 Appearance (Baylor)
2016-17 Largest Turnaround in Division 1 (Arkansas State)
*Served as Head Coach
**Awarded District 16-3A Coach of the Year -
Dr. Hunter Taylor – Full Bio
PDF opens in a new window
-
Co-Founder, COO
Coach Chris Cutcliffe serves Oxford High School as its football coach, but that also only touches the surface of how he utilizes his many skill sets. In fact, we’d argue that he is probably the only football coach in the country that also doubles as the Director of Continuous Improvement for an entire school district. But at his core, he’s a faithful leader who lives the mission of Coach & Doc.
If you see him around town, you’ll likely see him with his beautiful wife, Molly, and their SIX sons – Shivers, Bennett, Oliver, Theodore, Louis, and Gregory.
-
Coach Chris Cutcliffe is currently the head football coach at Oxford High School (OHS) in Oxford, MS. In eight years as the program’s leader, his teams have accumulated a total record of 72-28 highlighted by the 2019s 6A State Championship, the first in school history, where Chris was also named Mississippi’s Coach of the Year. In addition to coaching, he serves the district as the Director of Student Development.
Outside of the regular season, Cutcliffe was named head coach of Team Mississippi in the prestigious 2022 Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game, the head coach of the North Team in the 2020 Bernarnd Blackwell All-Star Game, the head coach of the North Team in the 2019 NEMFCA All-Star Game, an assistant coach for the North Team in the 2018 Bernard Blackwell All-Star Game, and an assistant coach in the 2019 Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game. In January of 2017, he was also recognized by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) as part of its 30 Under 30 program.
Chris and his wife, Molly, were both raised in Oxford and met at Oxford High. The couple now has six sons - Shivers, Bennett, Oliver, Theodore, Louis & Gregory.
-
BS, The University of Tennessee, 2009
MAT, Duke University, 2011
EdS, Arkansas State University, 2015
-
High School, College, & All-Star Games
2005-08, University of Tennessee (TN)
2009-11, Duke University (NC)
2012-present, Oxford High School (MS)
2018, Bernard Blackwell All-Star Game (MS)
2019, NEMFCA All-Star Game (MS)
2019, Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game (MS)
2020, Head Coach Bernard Blackwell All-Star Game (MS)
2022, Head Coach Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game (MS)
-
2006-07 Two Outback Bowl Appearances (Tennessee)
2007 SEC East Champions (Tennessee)
2009-11 Foundation before Duke’s run of six bowl appearances in seven years (Duke)
2013-15 Three straight North Half Championships (Oxford)
2019 6A State Champions* & Max Preps #1 Team in State** (Oxford)
2020 6A North Half Champions*
2023 Region 1-7A Champions
*Served as Head Coach
**Awarded Mississippi’s 6A Coach of the Year -
Coach Chris Cutcliffe - Full Bio
PDF opens in a new window