Tommy Bowden

{{Short description|American football player and coach (born 1954)}}

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{{Use American English|date = September 2019}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Tommy Bowden

| image = Tommy Bowden 2010.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Bowden in 2010

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1954|7|10|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| alma_mater =

| player_years1 = 1973–1976

| player_team1 = West Virginia

| player_positions = Wide receiver

| coach_years1 = 1977

| coach_team1 = West Virginia (GA)

| coach_years2 = 1978–1979

| coach_team2 = Florida State (DB)

| coach_years3 = 1980

| coach_team3 = Auburn (RB)

| coach_years4 = 1981–1982

| coach_team4 = Florida State (TE)

| coach_years5 = 1983–1984

| coach_team5 = Duke (QB)

| coach_years6 = 1985–1986

| coach_team6 = Duke (OC)

| coach_years7 = 1987–1989

| coach_team7 = Alabama (WR)

| coach_years8 = 1990

| coach_team8 = Kentucky (OC)

| coach_years9 = 1991–1996

| coach_team9 = Auburn (OC)

| coach_years10 = 1997–1998

| coach_team10 = Tulane

| coach_years11 = 1999–2008

| coach_team11 = Clemson

| overall_record = 90–49

| bowl_record =

| tournament_record =

| championships = 1 C-USA (1998)

| awards = C-USA Coach of the Year (1998)
ACC Coach of the Year (1999, 2003)

| coaching_records =

}}

Tommy Pearce Bowden ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|aʊ|d|ə|n}}; born July 10, 1954) is an American former college football coach. He served as the head coach at Clemson University from 1999 until October 13, 2008. He is a son of Bobby Bowden, former head football coach of Florida State University, against whom he coached in games nicknamed the "Bowden Bowl." He is also a brother of Terry Bowden, who served as the head coach of Auburn.

Coaching career

Before coming to Clemson, Bowden was the head coach at Tulane University, and an assistant at the University of Alabama, Auburn University, Duke University, the University of Kentucky, East Carolina University and, with his father, at Florida State. His 1998 Tulane squad went 12–0 and achieved a top-10 final ranking in both polls. Despite being one of only two undefeated teams in the regular season, Tulane was not even considered for a bid in a Bowl Championship Series game because it was believed they had not played a difficult schedule.

File:Tommy Bowden-Clemson 2006.jpgBowden was hired as Clemson's head coach before the 1999 season. Bowden's Clemson teams went to a bowl game every year he coached there, except in 2004, when, after a brawl with rival South Carolina, both teams withdrew from bowl consideration for that season. He resigned on October 13, 2008, after leading the team to a disappointing 3–3 record (1–2 ACC) at the midpoint of a season in which the Tigers had been an almost unanimous preseason pick to win their first ACC title under Bowden and were ranked #9 in the preseason polls. Assistant head coach/wide receivers coach Dabo Swinney was named as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. In ten seasons, Bowden led the Tigers to zero conference championships, finishing only as high as second in the conference twice and second in the Atlantic division three times.

Personal

File:Tommy Bowden prayer luncheon 2008.jpg, addresses airmen at Pope Field in celebration of the National Prayer Luncheon in 2008.]]

Bowden attended and played football for West Virginia University from 1972 through 1976. He is married to Linda White and has two children, Ryan and Lauren. He is a son of former Florida State Seminoles head coach, the late Bobby Bowden and has two sisters and three brothers, including Terry, former head coach at Auburn University , and Jeff, who served as an assistant coach on his brother Terry's staff. Bowden is an evangelical Christian.{{cite web|title=Tommy Bowden|url=http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/tommy-bowden/}}{{cite web|title=FCA: Ex-Clemson coach helps put faith in play at schools|url=http://www.coastalobserver.com/articles/2014/073114/5.html|access-date=August 18, 2014|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222108/http://www.coastalobserver.com/articles/2014/073114/5.html|url-status=dead}}

Head coaching record

{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = both }}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Tulane Green Wave

| conf = Conference USA

| startyear = 1997

| endyear = 1998

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1997

| name = Tulane

| overall = 7–4

| conference = 5–1

| confstanding = 2nd

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship = conference

| year = 1998

| name = Tulane

| overall = 12–0

| conference = 6–0

| confstanding = 1st

| bowlname = Liberty

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = 7

| ranking2 = 7

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Tulane

| overall = 19–4

| confrecord = 11–1

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Clemson Tigers

| conf = Atlantic Coast Conference

| startyear = 1999

| endyear = 2008

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1999

| name = Clemson

| overall = 6–6

| conference = 5–3

| confstanding = T–2nd

| bowlname = Peach

| bowloutcome = L

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 2000

| name = Clemson

| overall = 9–3

| conference = 6–2

| confstanding = T–2nd

| bowlname = Gator

| bowloutcome = L

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = 14

| ranking2 = 16

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 2001

| name = Clemson

| overall = 7–5

| conference = 4–4

| confstanding = T–4th

| bowlname = Humanitarian

| bowloutcome = W

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 2002

| name = Clemson

| overall = 7–6

| conference = 4–4

| confstanding = T–5th

| bowlname = Tangerine

| bowloutcome = L

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 =

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 2003

| name = Clemson

| overall = 9–4

| conference = 5–3

| confstanding = 3rd

| bowlname = Peach

| bowloutcome = W

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = 22

| ranking2 = 22

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 2004

| name = Clemson

| overall = 6–5

| conference = 4–4

| confstanding = T–6th

| bowlname = Declined*

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 =

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 2005

| name = Clemson

| overall = 8–4

| conference = 4–4

| confstanding = 3rd (Atlantic)

| bowlname = Champs Sports

| bowloutcome = W

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = 21

| ranking2 = 21

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 2006

| name = Clemson

| overall = 8–5

| conference = 5–3

| confstanding = T–2nd (Atlantic)

| bowlname = Music City

| bowloutcome = L

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 =

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 2007

| name = Clemson

| overall = 9–4

| conference = 5–3

| confstanding = 2nd (Atlantic)

| bowlname = Chick-fil-A

| bowloutcome = L

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = 22

| ranking2 = 21

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 2008

| name = Clemson

| overall = 3–3

| conference = 1–2

| confstanding = T–2nd (Atlantic)

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 =

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Clemson

| overall = 72–45

| confrecord = 43–32

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record End

| overall = 90–49

| bowls = no

| poll = two

}}

*Self-imposed punishment for team fight with South Carolina

Bowden resigned on October 13, 2008.

References