Former Auburn coach Terry Bowden among the top coaches from the 1990s
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
The Auburn Tigers suffered a great loss in the early 1990s when legendary head coach Pat Dye resigned from the program, and needed someone special to fill the void. They got it right, very quickly, by hiring Terry Bowden.
Bowden took over the Tigers’ program in 1993 and made an immediate impact. He led Auburn to an 11-0 record in year one and at least eight wins in four of his five seasons on the Plains. His quick rebuild of the program led him to a place on The Athletic’s Top College Football Head Coaches of the 1990s list.
Bowden makes the cut at No. 24, ahead of legendary Washington head coach Don James. Bowden made Joe Rexrode’s list after he led Auburn to an unbeaten and untied record in 1993, the year after the program received heavy sanctions from the NCAA that resulted in a two-year postseason ban and a one-year television ban.
Unless you were in attendance for any of Auburn’s 1993 games, you did not see the Tigers earn wins over Alabama and Florida that season. The two teams would ultimately meet in the SEC Championship Game at Legion Field in Birmingham, with the Gators coming out on top. Despite being banned from the SEC title game and bowl season, Auburn finished the season ranked No. 4 in the nation.
Bowden led Auburn to a nine-win season in 1994 and back-to-back eight-win seasons in 1995 and 1996, respectively. Auburn reached the 10-win plateau again in 1997 and earned a trip to the SEC Championship Game, where it fell short to Tennessee, by one point, 30-29. Quarterback Dameyune Craig posted the best passing season in Auburn history that year with 3,277 yards and 18 touchdowns. Three wide receivers hauled in over 500 receiving yards in the pass-heavy scheme drawn up by offensive coordinator Rodney Allison.
His good fortune faded in 1998 when he resigned after Auburn’s 1-5 start that season, but his time with Auburn was certainly memorable. He went 47-17 during his time on the Plains with two bowl wins and five top 25 finishes. He returned to the head coaching role in 2012 by taking over the Akron Zips program. After a short break following the 2018 season, he stepped back into the head coaching world in 2021 by coaching the ULM Warhawks for three seasons.
He won 92 games as an FBS head coach after winning 45 games at Samford before he arrived in Auburn, giving him 137 head coaching wins.
Bowden joins elite company by being included in The Athletic’s ranking. The names of Lavell Edwards, Frank Beamer, Lou Holtz, Phillip Fulmer, Tom Osborne, Steve Spurrier, and his father, Bobby Bowden, are on the list alongside Bowden.
Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Former Auburn coach Terry Bowden among the top coaches from the 1990s
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos