Getting to Know Don Bandy
If you have taken a social science class at Taft College since 1979, hopefully, you were lucky enough to have Don Bandy as your teacher. I had the opportunity to sit down with Professor Bandy, and if you have ever met him, you know it was a good time.
Bandy grew up in Lynnwood in Southern California, and he went to Compton College in the 1960’s before transferring to the University Of Tulsa to play football. After a few years in Tulsa, Don played 2 years in the NFL for the Washington Redskins. He has many memories of his time in the National Football League, including cocktail parties at Ted Kennedy’s house who was a huge Redskins fan.
Mr. Bandy came to Taft College in 1979 and was named head football coach that same year and would go on to win 2 national championships in 1982, and 1984. He says that they would have won 3 in a row, but he tried a new career in insurance in 1983. After a year in insurance, Bandy returned to Taft College to teach and coach football up until all sports we’re discontinued at Taft College in 1994.
Don retired in 2012, now teaching part-time at Taft. He is enjoying retirement and says he is trying to spend as much time going to Kansas watching his son play college football. If you ever need to take a social science class at Taft College, take Mr. Bandy’s class; you might just learn something.