Bowen Promoted On Kansas Football Staff
Jan. 23, 2008
<?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>LAWRENCE, Kan. – After spending the previous two seasons as the Kansas football safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator with Bill Young, Clint Bowen was promoted to defensive coordinator it was announced by Jayhawk head coach Mark Mangino on Wednesday.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
“Clint has played a big role in the success of our defense,” Mangino said. “He has great rapport with the players and is an outstanding teacher of schemes and fundamentals. There is no doubt Clint will continue to develop our defense.”
Bowen, who will be entering his eighth year on the Kansas football coaching staff, will continue coaching the Jayhawk safeties as he has done for the past five years. He takes over the defense after Young left for a similar position at Miami.
The 35-year old Bowen becomes one of the nation’s youngest defensive coordinators at the Football Bowl Series level. Bowen is one of 17 solo offensive or defensive coordinators 35 years old or younger.
This past season the Kansas defense was among the nation’s best units. The Jayhawks were ranked fourth in scoring defense (16.38), eighth in rushing defense (94.77), ninth in pass efficiency defense (105.34) and 12th in total defense (317.31).
The Jayhawks led the country in turnover margin at plus 1.62 per game, forcing 35 opponent miscues, including 23 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries.
A former Jayhawk defensive back from 1992-93, Bowen has been part of the Kansas football program for 12 of the previous 16 seasons. After serving as a graduate assistant at Minnesota in 1997 in his first coaching experience, the Lawrence, Kan. native returned to his alma mater as a graduate assistant for the 1998 and 1999 seasons.
Bowen moved into the role of assistant director of football operations in 2000 before becoming a full-time coach in 2001. He coached tight ends that season and began a five-year stint as the special teams coordinator as well.
In 2002 he coached the Jayhawk running backs before moving to safeties coach, where he has spent the last five years. He gave up his special teams coordinator role in 2006 as he was named co-defensive coordinator with Young for the past two seasons.
As a player at Kansas, Bowen became a fixture in the secondary during his two seasons. He led the team in tackles with 114 as a senior in 1993. He also recorded two interceptions, broke up five passes and recovered two fumbles in his final year.
As a junior he made 31 tackles in 10 games, leading the Jayhawks with 12 stops at IowaState and six tackles against BallState. Prior to coming to Kansas he played at ButlerCountyCommunity College and was a standout at LawrenceHigh School.
Bowen comes from a football family. His father Charley was a two-time high school All-American at LawrenceHigh School and his older brother, Charley, Jr., was a four-year letterwinner as a defensive back at Kansas.
Bowen and his wife Kristie have two sons, Baylor (three) and Banks (one).
The Bowen File
Coaching Experience
1997 – Minnesota (defensive graduate assistant)
1998-99 – Kansas (graduate assistant)
1999 – Topeka Knights (head coach)
2000 – Kansas (assistant director of football operations)
2001 – Kansas (tight ends, special teams coordinator)
2002 – Kansas (running backs, special teams coordinator)
2003-05 – Kansas (safeties, special teams coordinator)
2006-07 – Kansas (safeties, co-defensive coordinator)
2008 – Kansas (defensive coordinator, safeties)
