Willie Taggart has become known for rebuilding programs at Western Kentucky and South Florida. His next endeavor will be much more high profile, trying to turn around the struggling Oregon Ducks.Oregon announced Wednesday that it had hired Taggart to take over following a disappointing 4-8 season and the dismissal of coach Mark Helfrich.Taggart has been coach at USF for the past four seasons, guiding the team from a 2-10 record his first year to a 10-2 mark this year and a spot in the Birmingham Bowl.Before he arrived in Tampa he spent three seasons at his alma mater, Western Kentucky, inheriting a winless program that he turned around with back-to-back winning seasons.Willie places an emphasis on ensuring a positive student-athlete experience and on winning, and his previous stops have proven his success at both, Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said in a statement. We have a very bright future under his leadership.A news conference to formally introduce Taggart was set for Thursday.Taggart, 40, is the first coach Oregon has hired from outside the program since 1976. The Ducks previous three coaches, Mike Bellotti, Chip Kelly and Helfrich, were all assistants who were promoted.Taggart will also be the first black head football coach at Oregon. The length and terms of his contract with the Ducks were not immediately released.Oregon has a strong national presence and a proud recent history of playing among the nations elite, and I look forward to the challenge of upholding the excellence, Taggart said in a statement. I cant wait to get started.Taggart was 16-20 at Western Kentucky, taking over when it was first transitioning to FBS. He went 7-5 in his last two seasons with the Hilltoppers and then moved to USF, not far from where he grew up in Bradenton, Florida.It took two seasons and a change in offensive philosophy from more pro-style, West Coast schemes to a spread, but he now has the 25th-ranked Bulls rolling. They finished second in the American Athletic Conference East Division to Temple and will play South Carolina on Dec. 29 in the Birmingham Bowl.Wednesday was the second straight day the AAC has lost one of its best coaches, and the third the conference has lost since Thanksgiving weekend. Temples Matt Rhule was hired by Baylor on Monday and Tom Herman left Houston for Texas on Nov. 26.Taggart had support from former NFL player and broadcaster Tony Dungy, whose son Eric played at USF in 2014 after transferring from Oregon.Taggart served as running backs coach for Jim Harbaugh at Stanford from 2007-09 and is credited with helping to recruit Andrew Luck. Harbaugh had recruited Taggart, a quarterback, to play at Western Kentucky under father Jack Harbaugh from 1995-98.After taking over when Kelly left in 2013, Helfrich went 37-16 in his four seasons as head coach of the Ducks. He signed a contract extension in early 2015, and had an $11.6 million buyout.Just two seasons ago, Oregon went to the first College Football Playoff championship game, led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Marcus Mariota.But the Ducks struggled this season with a five-game losing streak -- the programs longest since 1996 -- and finished at the bottom of the Pac-12 North with just two conference wins.In a statement after his dismissal, Helfrich thanked his own family, the campus community, the fans, and his coaches and their families.Finally, to the players -- thank you, and I love you, he said. The future is bright for this young, talented team, and we will be supporting them and their new leadership.Mullens also reportedly interviewed Boise States Bryan Harsin and Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano before settling on Taggart. Kelly, now with the San Francisco 49ers, had said he was not interested in the job, as did former offensive coordinator Scott Frost, now at Central Florida.Taggart leaves USF with four seasons remaining on a five-year, $9 million contract. The deal he received last winter included a provision for a $1.7 million buyout.For the immediate future, Taggart will need to reach out to Oregons recruits. Defensive back Deommodore Lenoir and defensive end Langi Tuifua both previously withdrew verbal commitments. Offensive lineman John Vaka said he was no longer committed via Twitter on Tuesday.---AP College Football Writer Ralph Russo contributed to this report.---More AP college football: http://collegefootball.ap.org Custom Arizona Diamondbacks Jerseys . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. A. J. Pollock Jersey . The Swede became the first golfer to win the PGA Tours FedEx Cup and European Tours Race to Dubai in the same season. "It is still taking a little time to sink in what Ive achieved this week as was the case when I won the FedEx Cup but then it just kept getting better and better as the days went on and I am sure this will be the same," he said. http://www.diamondbacksteamproshop.com/diamondbacks-chris-owings-jersey/ . Its sharpness matched my mind. This was no night to go to sleep. Yasmany Tomas Jersey . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. Fernando Rodney Jersey . The home side created most of the chances but struggled to break down Braunschweigs resilient defence, resulting in the Bundesligas 1,000th scoreless draw. TORONTO -- Michael Saunders hit a solo home run in the fourth inning and singled home the winning run in the eighth as the Toronto Blue Jays completed a three-game sweep of Kansas City, beating the Royals 3-2 on Wednesday.Toronto won its fifth straight, while its 2015 ALCS opponent dropped its fourth in a row.Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-out double off Kelvin Herrera (1-2) in the eighth and scored when Saunders lined a single to center. Russell Martin followed with an RBI double.Marcus Stroman (7-4) pitched eight innings to win for the first time in four starts. Roberto Osuna finished for his 17th save.Saunders, one of five AL candidates for the All-Star Final Vote, opened the scoring with a one-out drive off Ian Kennedy in the fourth, his 16th.The homer was the 21st allowed by Kennedy this season, tied for second-most in the majors. Kennedy has allowed at least one homer in seven consecutive starts, giving up 13 in that span.Stroman was perfect through five innings, throwing 44 pitches. Kansas City didnt hit a ball out of the infield until Paulo Orlando flied to center to end the fifth.Brett Eibner broke Stromans streak when he walked on a 3-2 pitch to begin the sixth. The next batter, Alcides Escobar, broke up the no-hitter and ended Stromans shutout bid with an RBI triple.Toronto led 2-1 on Ezequiel Carreras RBI single in the fifth, but Eibner tied it 2-alll when he connected off Stroman in the eighth.ddddddddddddKennedy allowed two runs and four hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out 10, one shy of his season high.The retractable roof was open when the game began but started to close during the top of the sixth. It was still sliding shut when a light rain began falling in the bottom of the seventh. Play was not interrupted.TRAINERS ROOMRoyals: DH Kendrys Morales (back) was held out of the starting lineup.Blue Jays: RHP Marco Estrada was placed on the 15-day DL, one day after being named to the All-Star team for the first time. Estrada will still attend the game in San Diego but wont be able to pitch. RHP Drew Hutchison will start for Toronto in the opener of a four-game series against Detroit on Thursday. RHP Bo Schultz was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo.UP NEXTRoyals: LHP Danny Duffy (4-1, 3.11) starts as Kansas City returns home for a four-game series against Seattle. Hes 0-1 with a 1.69 ERA in five games against the Mariners, including three starts. 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