Bowden spoke often of his Christian faith; he didn’t smoke or drink, and “dadgummit” seemed the sharpest word in his vocabulary. Bowden played quarterback for Howard College in Birmingham (now Samford University), from which he received a bachelor’s degree. Bowden was head coach at South Georgia, a junior college, from 1956 to 1958. After stints as an assistant coach, Bowden became head coach at West Virginia in 1970, and posted a record of 42-26 for six seasons. Bowden was a brilliant recruiter, searching for players in Miami’s poorer neighborhoods and the rural parts of the Florida Panhandle.

Source: New York Times August 08, 2021 11:50 UTC