Urban Bowman
Encyclopedia
Urban M. Bowman, Jr. is a retired Gridiron football
player and coach who served as the interim head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
and Hamilton Tiger-Cats
.
and played for their football team. After graduating in 1959, Bowman joined the United States Army
, where he won the Army Commendation Medal for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service.
During his youth, Bowman served as a waiter in the Baltimore Colts
' dining room during training camp, which was held in his hometown of Westminster, Maryland
.
.
After serving as an assistant at Lebanon Valley College
and Colorado State
, Bowman left coaching to become Colorado State's assistant Athletic director
. He decided to return to coaching the following year and contacted Hamilton Tiger-Cats
head Al Dorow
to inquire about any possible coaching vacancies. Due to an ongoing dispute with Team President Ralph Sazio
over the hiring and firing of assistant coaches, Dorow decided to hire whomever the next applicant for the coaching position and Bowman was hired on the spot. He was let go after one season and joined the coaching staff of the Edmonton Eskimos
as a Defensive Line coach.
Bowman left coaching again in 1974, but later returned as an assistant at Bemidji State
. He returned to the CFL in 1985 as the Defensive Line and Special Teams Coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
. He left the Bombers in 1989 to become the Ottawa Rough Riders
' Offensive Line Coach, but returned to Winnipeg in 1991.
In 1992, Bowman was named the Blue Bombers' interim head coach after head coach Cal Murphy
had to undergo Heart transplant surgery
. He would lead the Winnipeg to an 11-7 record and a first place finish in the Eastern Division
. The Blue Bombers defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 59-11 in the Division Final, but lost to the Calgary Stampeders
24-10 in the 80th Grey Cup
.
Murphy returned in 1993 and Bowman moved to his prior position as Defensive Line and Special Teams Coach. In 1995 he joined the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as Assistant Head Coach. In 1997 he was promoted to interim head coach after Don Sutherin
was fired. The Tiger-Cats would win only one of their remaining eleven games and Bowman was let go at the end of season.
Bowman spent the 1998 season as the defensive line coach at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania
. After a battle with prostate cancer
, Bowman returned to Mansfield the following year as offensive line coach. In 2000, Bowman joined the Toronto Argonauts
as special teams coach for the final seven games of the season.
During the 2004 season, Bowman joined the Blue Bombers as special teams coach. He rejoined the Winnipeg coaching staff midway through the following season when linebackers coach Rod Rust
left the team to attend to personal matters.
Bowman became a citizen of Canada in 1995.
In addition to coaching football, Bowman has also worked as a teacher, farmer, janitor, soda jerk and Coca-Cola
truck driver.
In 2009, Bowman was inducted into the Carroll County
Sports Hall of Fame.
Gridiron football
Gridiron football , sometimes known as North American football, is an umbrella term for related codes of football primarily played in the United States and Canada. The predominant forms of gridiron football are American football and Canadian football...
player and coach who served as the interim head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
and Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
.
Early life
Bowman was an all-state tackle at Westminster High School. He attended the University of DelawareUniversity of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
and played for their football team. After graduating in 1959, Bowman joined the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, where he won the Army Commendation Medal for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service.
During his youth, Bowman served as a waiter in the Baltimore Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
' dining room during training camp, which was held in his hometown of Westminster, Maryland
Westminster, Maryland
Westminster is a city in northern Maryland, United States. It is the seat of Carroll County. The city's population was 18,590 at the 2010 census. Westminster is an outlying community within the Baltimore-Towson, MD MSA, which is part of a greater Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV...
.
Coaching career
Bowman began his coaching career in 1961 as a volunteer assistant for the Delaware freshman football team. A year later he received his first paid coaching position at the University of DaytonUniversity of Dayton
The University of Dayton is a private Roman Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio...
.
After serving as an assistant at Lebanon Valley College
Lebanon Valley College
Lebanon Valley College is a small, liberal arts higher education institution situated in the heart of Annville in Lebanon County, east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.-History:...
and Colorado State
Colorado State Rams football
The Colorado State Rams football program, established in 1893, represents Colorado State University and is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Mountain West Conference under head coach Steve Fairchild...
, Bowman left coaching to become Colorado State's assistant Athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
. He decided to return to coaching the following year and contacted Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
head Al Dorow
Al Dorow
Albert Richard "Al" Dorow was an American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback. He played collegiately for Michigan State and professionally in the National Football League and the American Football League....
to inquire about any possible coaching vacancies. Due to an ongoing dispute with Team President Ralph Sazio
Ralph Sazio
Ralph Joseph Sazio is a former football player, assistant coach, head coach general manager and team president for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He also served as president of the Toronto Argonauts...
over the hiring and firing of assistant coaches, Dorow decided to hire whomever the next applicant for the coaching position and Bowman was hired on the spot. He was let go after one season and joined the coaching staff of the Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
as a Defensive Line coach.
Bowman left coaching again in 1974, but later returned as an assistant at Bemidji State
Bemidji State University
Bemidji State University is a public state university in Bemidji, Minnesota, USA, located on the shores of Lake Bemidji. It is a part of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities .-History:BSU was founded in 1919 as Bemidji State Normal School...
. He returned to the CFL in 1985 as the Defensive Line and Special Teams Coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
. He left the Bombers in 1989 to become the Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
' Offensive Line Coach, but returned to Winnipeg in 1991.
In 1992, Bowman was named the Blue Bombers' interim head coach after head coach Cal Murphy
Cal Murphy
Cal Murphy is a Scout for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. Murphy gained notoriety in the Canadian Football League as a coach and/or General Manager for nine Grey Cup Championship teams, earning a spot in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.-Early life:Murphy, one of seven...
had to undergo Heart transplant surgery
Heart transplantation
A heart transplant, or a cardiac transplantation, is a surgical transplant procedure performed on patients with end-stage heart failure or severe coronary artery disease. As of 2007 the most common procedure was to take a working heart from a recently deceased organ donor and implant it into the...
. He would lead the Winnipeg to an 11-7 record and a first place finish in the Eastern Division
Canadian Football League East Division
The East Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League. Although the CFL was not founded until 1958, the East Division and its clubs are descended from earlier leagues.- Pre-1907 :...
. The Blue Bombers defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 59-11 in the Division Final, but lost to the Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
24-10 in the 80th Grey Cup
80th Grey Cup
The 80th Grey Cup was the 1992 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Calgary Stampeders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Toronto's SkyDome...
.
Murphy returned in 1993 and Bowman moved to his prior position as Defensive Line and Special Teams Coach. In 1995 he joined the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as Assistant Head Coach. In 1997 he was promoted to interim head coach after Don Sutherin
Don Sutherin
Donald Paul "Suds" Sutherin is a former Canadian Football League and National Football League defensive back and placekicker...
was fired. The Tiger-Cats would win only one of their remaining eleven games and Bowman was let go at the end of season.
Bowman spent the 1998 season as the defensive line coach at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania
Mansfield University of Pennsylvania
Mansfield University of Pennsylvania is one of the fourteen state universities that are part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The University is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher...
. After a battle with prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
, Bowman returned to Mansfield the following year as offensive line coach. In 2000, Bowman joined the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
as special teams coach for the final seven games of the season.
During the 2004 season, Bowman joined the Blue Bombers as special teams coach. He rejoined the Winnipeg coaching staff midway through the following season when linebackers coach Rod Rust
Rod Rust
Rodney A. Rust is a former American football player and coach. He is best known in the United States as the coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League during the 1990 season, which ended with a 1–15 record....
left the team to attend to personal matters.
Coaching record
| Team | |Regular Season | WIN Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded... |
1992 | 11 | 7 | 0 | .611 | 1st in East Division | 1 | 1 | Lost in Grey Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HAM Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium... |
1997 | 1 | 10 | 0 | .091 | 4th in East Division | 0 | 0 | Missed playoffs | ||
| Total | 12 | 17 | 0 | .414 | 1 Division Championship | 1 | 1 |
Personal life
Bowman's first wife died in 1973. He currently resides in Sandy Hook, Manitoba with his second wife Cindy.Bowman became a citizen of Canada in 1995.
In addition to coaching football, Bowman has also worked as a teacher, farmer, janitor, soda jerk and Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
truck driver.
In 2009, Bowman was inducted into the Carroll County
Carroll County, Maryland
Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 167,134. It was named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton , signer of the American Declaration of Independence. Its county seat is Westminster....
Sports Hall of Fame.