Tara Young’s life story highlights her role as a mother and coach, but not as a wife or husband’s partner.
Tara Young has established herself as one of the most successful high school volleyball coaches in the nation through her remarkable 26-year tenure at Notre Dame High School.
Her coaching prowess speaks volumes through her impressive record of 783-276, leading the Pioneers to five state championships and nine state finals appearances.
Young’s coaching philosophy extends beyond volleyball fundamentals, focusing on character development and life skills that follow her players long after graduation.
Former players consistently credit her with instilling values of perseverance, teamwork, and dedication that shape their professional and personal lives.
Her innovative approach includes themed seasons, team-building activities, and creating a family-like atmosphere that bonds players together.
Young’s influence reaches beyond the court through her work at Rice City volleyball club and her mentorship of younger coaches.
Her recent retirement decision, motivated by her desire to spend time with her new granddaughter, marks the end of an era for Notre Dame volleyball.
Tara Young Never Mentions A Husband, But She Has A Son
Tara Young maintains an extraordinarily private stance regarding her marital status and personal relationships, creating an intriguing mystery around her romantic life.
Public records and extensive media coverage consistently focus on her professional achievements while remaining completely silent about any husband or spouse.
This deliberate privacy extends across decades of coaching, during which reporters have documented her family dynamics exclusively through references to her son Waylon and her coaching family at Notre Dame.
The absence of any husband figure becomes particularly notable when examining Young’s public statements and social media presence.
Her Facebook profile explicitly states that she identifies as single, providing the clearest indication of her current relationship status.
This direct declaration suggests that Young either chooses to remain unmarried or has experienced a significant life change that led to her current single status.
Young’s son Waylon, now 31 years old and serving as an assistant coach on her staff, represents the most visible connection to her past personal life.
Waylon married Meghan Camille Young on April 24, 2021, indicating that Tara Young did indeed have a romantic relationship at some point in her life that resulted in motherhood.
However, the complete absence of any father figure in public discussions raises questions about the circumstances surrounding this relationship.
The coaching community and local media have respected Young’s privacy boundaries, never pressing for details about her personal relationships or family background beyond her immediate connection to Waylon.
This professional courtesy has allowed Young to maintain complete control over her personal narrative while building her public identity solely around her coaching achievements and maternal relationship with her son.
Young’s decision to keep her romantic life private contrasts sharply with her open approach to coaching relationships and mentorship.
She freely discusses the deep bonds she forms with players, assistant coaches, and the extended Notre Dame volleyball family, yet maintains absolute silence about any romantic partnerships.
This selective transparency suggests a deliberate choice to separate her personal romantic life from her public coaching persona.
The mystery deepens when considering Young’s recent retirement decision, which she attributes entirely to wanting more time with her new granddaughter.
Her statements about family dynamics changing after her mother’s death in 2022 focus on grief and generational responsibilities rather than any spousal support or partnership considerations.
This omission reinforces the pattern of her navigating major life decisions independently.
Young’s long-term assistant coach Brad Petry, who has worked alongside her for over two decades, describes their coaching relationship in familial terms, noting how she treats his children like grandsons.
Yet even these close professional relationships yield no insights into her personal romantic life, suggesting that Young successfully compartmentalizes these aspects of her existence.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Tara Young will continue teaching at Notre Dame even after retiring from coaching volleyball.
- She plans to continue coaching with her club volleyball program (Rice City) and hopes to work with younger children at the “feeder-school level.”
- Young admits that her coaching approach “is not particularly popular” in some aspects, but she believes she still has “a whole lot to offer” despite her methods being different from other coaches.
