Bill Bowes Inducted into College Football Hall of Fame
Ex-PSU/LHHS Player, NH Coach Recognized for his Contributions
SCOTTSDALE, AR – University of New Hampshire legendary football head coach Bill Bowes is now a member of The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame.
Bowes was one of two college coaches named for the honor at ceremonies today in Scottsdale to coincide with next Monday’s national championship football game. The other was Frank Girardi, the longtime coach at Lycoming College. The inductees announced today will also participate in the Football Bowl Subdivision national championship pregame festivities and the coin toss on Monday, Jan. 11. The 2016 Class will be formally inducted Dec. 6 at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner.
Bowes is a Blanchard native and was a multi-sport standout at Lock Haven High School, graduating in 1961. He later played football at Penn State and was captain of the 1964 squad.
Bowes coached the UNH football team for 27 seasons, retiring after the 1998 season as the all-time winningest coach in Yankee Conference/Atlantic 10 history with a mark of 175-106-5. His UNH squads posted winning records 21 times, including 20 of his final 24 years at the helm. To this day, his 97 conference victories are No. 2 on the all-time list behind Villanova’s Andy Talley.
Bowes, who joined the UNH coaching staff as an offensive line coach in 1966 before becoming the youngest head coach in school history in 1972, guided the Wildcats to four Yankee Conference championships (1975, ’76, ’91, ’94). He strung together eight straight winning seasons from 1974-81 and had nine consecutive winning campaigns from 1983-91.
Bowes’ back-to-back championships in 1975 and ’76 resulted in NCAA playoff berths. He was recognized as the Kodak District I Coach of the Year in both seasons and additionally was feted as the New England Coach of the Year in ’75.
In 1985, the Eastern Intercollegiate Officials Association honored him with the Murray Lewis Award for his sportsmanship. He earned co-Yankee Conference Coach of the Year honors in 1989.
His ’91 squad captured the school’s 11th Yankee Conference title and advanced to the NCAA I-AA playoffs for the first time ever.
For his outstanding contributions to amateur football in the state of New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Chapter of the NFF and College Hall of Fame honored Bowes with its Distinguished Contribution to Football Award on May 4, 1994.
The ’94 Wildcats won the fourth Yankee Conference crown of the Bowes era and led to Bowes being named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) I-AA Region I Coach of the Year, the New England Coach of the Year, Yankee Conference Coach of the Year and the Gridiron Club of Boston Division I Coach of the Year.
In Bowes’ final season on the sidelines, All-America running back Jerry Azumah rushed for 2,195 yards and 22 touchdowns en route to winning the Walter Payton Award. In the process, Azumah became the all-time leading rusher in I-AA football with 6,193 yards. Azumah headlined a group of 12 All-America selections, six All-Atlantic 10 First-Team selections and 69 Yankee Conference First-Team representatives in the Bill Bowes era.
Coaching milestones for Bowes include his 100th coaching victory vs. Maine in 1988 and his 150th victory versus Richmond in 1994.
In 1999, current UNH football head coach Sean McDonnell initiated the Bill Bowes Coaches Award, an annual honor presented to a Wildcat senior.
On Nov. 26, 2002, Bowes was named the winner of the George C. Carens Award by the New England Football Writers for his outstanding contributions to New England football, becoming only the second Granite Stater honored (Joe Yukica).
Growing up in Blanchard, Bowes began his athletic career at Lock Haven High School. He lettered in football, basketball and track and also played American Legion baseball.
Bowes went on to play tight end under legendary coach Rip Engle at Penn State until his graduation in 1965. Bowes captained the ’64 Nittany Lions squad and played in the Blue-Gray game. Bowes was the recipient of the Penn State University Alumni Athlete Award on Dec. 3, 2000.
Following his graduation, Bowes rejected an offer from the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and returned to Penn State to launch his coaching career. After serving as a graduate assistant for one season, he came to UNH as an offensive line coach in 1966 and remained for an additional season. He moved to Boston College with former Wildcat head coach Joe Yukica from 1968-71 before taking the reins at UNH as the youngest head coach in school history in 1972.
To be eligible for the ballot, coaches must have coached a minimum of 10 years and 100 games as a head coach; won at least 60 percent of their games; and be retired from coaching for at least three years.
12 retired players were announced as members of the Hall of Fame Class for 2016.
You can view a video interview with Bowes about his career as part of a feature story about PSU football captains from Clinton County therecord-online.com presents last fall here : http://therecord-online.com/site/?p=16673
