Tommy Bowden

Tommy Pearce Bowden, an award-winning former head football coach, led teams at Clemson University and Tulane University. Before his tenure at Clemson, he was the head coach at Tulane University, where his 1998 squad went 12–0 and achieved a top-10 final ranking in both polls. Bowden has also served as an assistant at the University of Alabama, Auburn University, Duke University, the University of Kentucky, East Carolina University, and, with his father, at Florida State University.

He was hired as Clemson's head coach before the 1999 season. During his time at Clemson, Bowden's teams consistently performed well academically and on the field. In 2005, the Clemson football program had a 94% graduation success rate, ranking fourth among all Division IA teams. His teams also went to a bowl game every year he coached there, except in 2004. His leadership earned him multiple ACC Coach of the Year awards, specifically in 1999 and 2003. Despite high expectations, Bowden resigned on October 13, 2008, after leading the team to a 3–3 record (1–2 ACC) at the midpoint of a season in which the Tigers had been preseason favorites to win their first ACC title under his leadership.

Since retiring in 2008, Bowden has become a motivational speaker and continues to influence the field of college football as an analyst. He frequently appears as an expert analyst on ESPN television and radio, and co-hosts football television shows with FOX Sports and the ACC Football Network. Additionally, Bowden is the author of "Winning Character" and has been featured in the motivational video series "I am Second." His contributions to sports and leadership are further recognized by awards such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Coach of the Year Award, which he received in 2006.