Salem University Athletic Hall of Fame
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Terry Bowden was Salem College’s Head Football Coach from 1983-85, inheriting a team that had gone 0-9-1 in 1981.
Bowden began his coaching career as a graduate assistant under his father, legendary Head Coach Bobby Bowden, at Florida State before becoming the nation's youngest head coach at age 26 when he accepted the position at Salem College in 1983.
Bowden won 19 of his last 25 games and led the Tigers to the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) Championship in 1983 and 1984 behind star quarterback Jimbo Fisher. He compiled a 19-13 overall record, including a 15-8 mark in the WVIAC.
In 1986, Bowden left to be an assistant coach at the University of Akron for Gerry Faust. In 1987, Bowden became the head coach at Samford University, a school where his father played and coached. At Samford, Bowden directed the program's move from Division III football to Division I-AA scholarship football. In 1991, Bowden's Samford team reached the I-AA Semifinals.
In 1992, Bowden was hired to succeed Pat Dye as the head football coach at Auburn University. During his first year at Auburn, Bowden led the Tigers to a perfect 11–0 season, becoming the first coach to go undefeated in his debut season at a Division I school. He compiled a 47-17-1 record at Auburn in six seasons
Bowden joined ABC as a studio analyst in 1999, before returning to the sidelines in 2009 when he took the head coach position at Division II North Alabama. In 2011 he was hired as the head football coach at Division I Akron.
He is an active member of the Salem College Football Alumni Association. His wife, Shyrl, is a Salem College graduate and they have six children together.
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