The University of Louisiana-Monroe hasn’t had a head coach with a winning record since 1989. The Warhawks’ football program hoped to change that when they hired head coach Terry Bowden in 2020.

Previous head coach, Matt Viator, didn’t get the job done for the Warhawks. After five seasons and a 19-39 record, athletic director Scott McDonald named Bowden as the newest head coach in Monroe.

With lots of head coaching experience and a couple of years as an offensive analyst under Dabo Swinney, Bowden has what it takes to be a great head coach on paper.

After a couple of head coaching gigs at Salem and Samford, Auburn took a chance on the Georgian native. The Tigers were not in a good spot when Bowden got to campus. Facing serious punishment for paying players, Auburn was banned from playing in the postseason for the next two years.

But Bowden wasn’t deterred, leading the Tigers to an undefeated season and becoming the first coach to do so in their first season at a Division I school. Unfortunately it wouldn’t be for public consumption, as Auburn also had a television ban. The season would get cut short at 11-0 because of the postseason ban.

Although the Tigers wouldn’t get a chance to go on to play for the national championship, Bowden was awarded the Walter Camp Coach of the Year in 1993. This would prove to be the highlight of his career at Auburn, as things slowly took a decline. Although he went on to lead the team to a winning record the next five years, a 1-5 start in 1998 caused Bowden to step down mid-season.

After resigning as head coach of the Auburn Tigers, Bowden took an 11 year break where he tried his hand at broadcasting for ABC Sports.

Eventually, he got back into head coaching as he spent roughly ten years between South Alabama and Akron before going to be an offensive analyst under Dabo Swinney.

“He has spent these past two years continuing to sharpen his skills while learning from one of the nation’s best programs,” McDonald said in a press conference after hiring Bowden.

In some aspects, Bowden had a similar 2021 season as the one Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian had – both in their first season with a new program and a lot of expectations. Neither had great years, but with one season behind them, these two coaches have a chance to bounce back.

The Warhawks finished with a 4-8 record last season. With strong teams like Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State and Louisiana, the Sun Belt Conference is no joke. Louisiana-Monroe has a difficult schedule ahead of them as well; away matches in Austin against the Longhorns and Tuscaloosa against the Crimson Tide will make for good tests.

Bowden will have his hands full this season, but he’s on his way to turning this football program around.