Terry Bowden

Terry Wilson Bowden (; born February 24, 1956) is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, a position he has held since the 2021 season. Bowden served as the head football coach at Salem University (1983–1985), Samford University (1987–1992), Auburn University (1993–1998), the University of North Alabama (2009–2011), and the University of Akron (2012–2018). He is a son of former Florida State University head football coach Bobby Bowden and a brother of Tommy Bowden, former head football coach at Clemson University, and Jeff Bowden, the former offensive coordinator at Florida State. Education Bowden attended and played football for West Virginia University, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in accounting. His father, Bobby Bowden, was the Mountaineers' head coach until 1975, and Bowden lettered twice as a running back for his father's successor, Frank Cignetti, Sr. In addition to his post-graduate work at Oxford University, Bowden also received his Juris Doctor degree from Florida State University College of Law. Career Terry Bowden began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Florida State before becoming the nation's youngest head coach at age 26 when he accepted the position at Salem College in 1983. While at Salem, he won two West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles. In 1986, Bowden left to be an assistant coach at The University of Akron for Gerry Faust. In 1987, Bowden became the head coach at Samford University, a school where his father played and coached. At Samford, Bowden directed the program's move from Division III football to Division I-AA scholarship football. In 1991, Bowden's Samford team reached the I-AA semifinals. Auburn In 1992, Bowden was hired to succeed Pat Dye as the head football coach at Auburn University. Bowden's hiring occurred while the program faced NCAA sanctions, which included scholarship reductions, a one-year television ban, and a two-year postseason ban.