Charlie Cowdrey
Encyclopedia
Charles E. "Charlie" Cowdrey (November 16, 1933 – January 18, 2011) was an American football
coach. Cowdrey served as a head high school coach for nine years, head coach at Fort Scott Community College
for three years, assistant coach at University of Missouri
for eight years, head coach at Illinois State University
for four years, assistant coach at Drake University
for one year, and head coach at Southwestern College
for nine years. His overall record as a head coach including high school coaching is 138 wins, 85 losses, 6 ties, and as a college head coach he achieved a record of 81 wins, 86 losses, and 4 ties.
, received a bachelors in physical education from Northwest Missouri State University
and a masters from the University of Missouri
.
He began his career as a coach at Smithville High School
from 1957 to 1966. He then at Fort Scott Community College
from 1966 to 1969 and then was an assistant coach the University of Missouri
from 1969 to 1977.
in Normal, Illinois
and he held that position for four seasons, from 1977 until 1980. His overall coaching record at ISU was 12 wins, 31 losses, and 1 tie. This ranks him 11th at ISU in terms of total wins and 17th at ISU in terms of winning percentage.
Charlie Cowdrey became perhaps the only football coach in NCAA
history to be fired less than 24 hours after his team had scored a major upset.
in Winfield, Kansas
where he compiled a record of 59 wins and 34 losses with 1 tie, taking over the program from famed football coach Dennis Franchione
. He held the position for nine season and became the 7th most successful coach at Southwestern College in terms of winning percentage (65.2%) and second in terms of total number of wins with 59.
Cowdrey took his teams to two separate bowl game
s, coaching half of the post-season bowls in school history. Both appearances were in the Sunflower Bowl
, and the team lost both times. He also took his team to the NAIA National Tournament in 1984, losing in the semifinals.
About being fired from the post, his son Bruce Cowdrey (also a football coach) related this story:
in Sioux City, Iowa
from 1993 through the 1995 season. His teams at Morningside produce 5 wins, 26 losses, and 2 ties during his three years as head coach.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach. Cowdrey served as a head high school coach for nine years, head coach at Fort Scott Community College
Fort Scott Community College
Fort Scott Community College is a two-year institution of higher learning based in Fort Scott, Kansas, with satellite buildings in other cities in Crawford County, including Pittsburg and Frontenac, along with sites in Paola and at Fort Scott High School. It is the oldest community college in...
for three years, assistant coach at University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
for eight years, head coach at Illinois State University
Illinois State University
Illinois State University , founded in 1857, is the oldest public university in Illinois; it is located in the town of Normal. ISU is considered a "national university" that grants a variety of doctoral degrees and strongly emphasizes research; it is also recognized as one of the top ten largest...
for four years, assistant coach at Drake University
Drake University
Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....
for one year, and head coach at Southwestern College
Southwestern College (Kansas)
Southwestern College is a four-year private college affiliated with the United Methodist Church located in Winfield, Kansas, United States. It was founded in 1885 and graduated its first class in 1889. In addition to its campus programs, it offers online programs.-Academics:The main campus is a...
for nine years. His overall record as a head coach including high school coaching is 138 wins, 85 losses, 6 ties, and as a college head coach he achieved a record of 81 wins, 86 losses, and 4 ties.
Early life
He was born in Camden Point, MissouriCamden Point, Missouri
Camden Point is a city in Platte County, Missouri, USA. The population was 484 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Camden Point is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, received a bachelors in physical education from Northwest Missouri State University
Northwest Missouri State University
Northwest Missouri State University is a state university in Maryville, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as a teachers college, it offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. The campus, based on the design for Forest Park at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, is the official Missouri State Arboretum....
and a masters from the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
.
He began his career as a coach at Smithville High School
Smithville School District
Smithville School District is a school district located north of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area in Clay County, Missouri. It currently boasts a student enrollment of about 1300 students ....
from 1957 to 1966. He then at Fort Scott Community College
Fort Scott Community College
Fort Scott Community College is a two-year institution of higher learning based in Fort Scott, Kansas, with satellite buildings in other cities in Crawford County, including Pittsburg and Frontenac, along with sites in Paola and at Fort Scott High School. It is the oldest community college in...
from 1966 to 1969 and then was an assistant coach the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
from 1969 to 1977.
Illinois State
Cowdrey was the 16th head football coach for the Illinois State RedbirdsIllinois State Redbirds
The Illinois State Redbirds are the athletic teams that represent Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. Teams play at the NCAA Division I level . The football team competes in the Missouri Valley Football Conference while most other teams compete in the Missouri Valley Conference...
in Normal, Illinois
Normal, Illinois
Normal is an incorporated town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. It had a population of 52,497 as of the 2010 census. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
and he held that position for four seasons, from 1977 until 1980. His overall coaching record at ISU was 12 wins, 31 losses, and 1 tie. This ranks him 11th at ISU in terms of total wins and 17th at ISU in terms of winning percentage.
Charlie Cowdrey became perhaps the only football coach in NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
history to be fired less than 24 hours after his team had scored a major upset.
Southwestern College
From 1983 to 1991, he was the 23rd head coach for the Southwestern College MoundbuildersSouthwestern College Moundbuilders
Southwestern College athletic teams are known as the Moundbuilders . They participate in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference.Men's Sports* Basketball...
in Winfield, Kansas
Winfield, Kansas
Winfield is a city situated along the Walnut River in the west-central part of Cowley County, located in South Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,301...
where he compiled a record of 59 wins and 34 losses with 1 tie, taking over the program from famed football coach Dennis Franchione
Dennis Franchione
Dennis Wayne Franchione , also known as Coach Fran, is an American football coach. He is currently the head football coach at Texas State University, a position he held from 1990 to 1991, when the school was known as Southwest Texas State University, and resumed in 2011...
. He held the position for nine season and became the 7th most successful coach at Southwestern College in terms of winning percentage (65.2%) and second in terms of total number of wins with 59.
Cowdrey took his teams to two separate bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
s, coaching half of the post-season bowls in school history. Both appearances were in the Sunflower Bowl
Sunflower Bowl
The Sunflower Bowl was a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics post-season college football bowl game played in Winfield, Kansas from 1982 to 1986.-Game results:...
, and the team lost both times. He also took his team to the NAIA National Tournament in 1984, losing in the semifinals.
About being fired from the post, his son Bruce Cowdrey (also a football coach) related this story:
- "A long time ago, my dad, Charlie Cowdrey (former Illinois State coach) was coaching Southwestern College in Winfield, Kan., when I asked him how he felt about being fired, ... he said, ‘When I came here, the first school president loved me. The second one didn't like football. The third one, he fired the chaplain. So I knew I was next.'"
Morningside College
After Southwestern, Cowdrey became the head coach at Morningside CollegeMorningside College
Morningside College is a private, liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church located in Sioux City, Iowa. Founded in 1894 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, Morningside College is a private, four-year, co-educational liberal arts institution. Morningside has 21 buildings on a ...
in Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
from 1993 through the 1995 season. His teams at Morningside produce 5 wins, 26 losses, and 2 ties during his three years as head coach.