Former Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower will address GCAC Sept. 25
Former Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower will address GCAC Sept. 25
Former Southern Miss Football Coach Jeff Bower (pictured) will address Gulf Shores Athletic Club members and guests at its Sept. 25 meeting in the Palmer Dining Room at Craft Farms Gulf Club. Bower is in the second year of a three year term on the all important College Football Playoff selection committee.
Social hour starts at 6 p.m., and guests are always welcome. Social time is followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the program at 7 p.m.
Bower, 63, was the face of Southern Miss football for nearly two decades, and spent 29 total years in Hattiesburg as a quarterback, assistant coach. He had a career record of 119-83-1 and took Southern Miss to bowl games in each of his last six years and 10 of the last 11.
The Golden Eagles had 14-straight winning seasons under Bower, and he won four Conference USA championships (1996, 1997, 1999 and 2003). Bower technically resigned after the 2007 season, though it has been widely reported that he was pushed out. The relationship between he and the school has since gotten better: USM named its academic center after Bower last year.
The CFP Selection Committee determines a weekly top 25 during the second half of the season. The committee’s top four teams go on to play in the playoff, while the rest of the committee’s rankings decide many of the best bowl game matchups.
The Gulf Coast Athletic Club meets eight times during college football season anda hosts an annual spring golf tournament. Dues, $200 per season, includes a great dinner, team reports, high school student athlete recognitions, and entertaining speakers. Call David DeMeyer at 404-386-9859 or david.d.demeyer@ gmail.com for additional info.
GCAC is a non-profit social organization supporting Gulf Shores athletic programs by providing equipment, supplies and scholarships. Since 1999, the GCAC has provided more than $160,000 in benefits to our local youth & athletic programs.
Upcoming GCAC speakers also include: Oct. 9 – Bill Battle, former Alabama AD; Oct. 23 – TBD; Nov.6 – Tommy Ford, Alabama Assistant AD; Nov. 20 – Al Del Greco, former Auburn & NFL place kicker; Jan 22 – TBA.
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About Jeff Bower…
• Born: Glassboro, MS in 1953.
• Roswell (GA) High School Highlights
– State 3A AAA Back of the Year
– First team Scholastic Coach High School All-American.
– State championships in football (’68, ‘70); baseball (’69, ‘71); and basketball (’71)
• University of Georgia (1971) – Transferred after freshman year
• University of Southern Miss (1972-1975)
– Quarterback, team captain, and MVP
– Led team to record 20-12-1
– Honorable Mention AP All South team (’73)
– 6-5 record with no home games due to stadium renovation (’74)
• Assistant Coaching Career
– Quarterbacks coach at SMU (1981-1986) & Wake Forest (1987)
– ffensive coordinator & QB coach USM (1988-1989) & Oklahoma State (1990)
• Head Coach At Southern Miss (1990-2007)
– Record of 119-83-1
– Conference USA Champions (’96, ‘97, ‘99, ‘03)
– Conference USA Coach of the Year (’97, ‘99, ‘03)
– Conference USA Coach of the Decade (’04)
– 14 Consecutive winning seasons (1994-2007)
– Bowl appearances in 10 of his last 11 seasons (7-3 in Bowls)
– Landmark wins over Alabama, Auburn, GA, LSU, & Nebraska
– Coached 51 All Americans; 145 All C-USA selections; 40 pros
– Recognized American Football Coaches Assoc. for 92% graduation rate (’06)
– USM & Mississipi Sports Hall of Fame Memberships
• USM Sports Hall of Fame (1988) Miss. Sports Hall of Fame
Fun Fact about Jeff Bower…
At the time of his USM Hall of Fame induction, he ranked sixth in the Southern Miss total offense record book and had coached all five of the quarterbacks in front of him, including Brett Favre and Reggie Collier.