Taylor's time as Louisiana Tech president also marked the beginning of Lady Techster athletics. In 1974, Taylor established the Lady Techsters women's basketball program with a $5,000 appropriation. He hired Sonja Hogg, a 28-year-old PE instructor at Ruston High School, as the Lady Techsters' first head coach. Under Coach Hogg and her successor Leon Barmore, the Lady Techsters won three National Championships during the 1980s. In 1980, Dr. Taylor founded the Lady Techster Softball team with Barry Canterbury serving as the team's first head coach. The team made seven straight teams to the NCAA Softball Tournament and three trips to the Women's College World Series during the 1980s.