(Anita) The words passionate, fiery, intense, and competitive have all been words used to describe CAM football coach Barry Bower. The Cumberland-Massena grad is our latest guest on Why I Coach.
Bower admits he wasn’t totally sold on coaching until he got his feet wet in the profession. “I really didn’t know I wanted to do it until I got into it and this was back in 1998 when I just finished with college and went down and was a volunteer assistant coach in Arizona.”
Thus began a memorable journey for Bower which has spanned multiple states and over 20 years on a sideline. After a brief stint originally as an assistant and eventually as a head coach in Arizona, he returned to Iowa and became a graduate assistant at Buena Vista. “That’s where I learned a tremendous amount of knowledge. Not just to break down film, but to understand knowing your role.”
He admits he wasn’t really ready to be a head coach in his first attempt at it. “After coaching two years in college it really made me think about what I needed to do with the time and effort. Then I went back to Arizona for four years and was a head coach down there, but got home sick a little bit. At the end of the day when you take advice from assistant coaches, if it works it is there idea and if it doesn’t work then you have to take the responsibility. I think that’s the number one thing as a head coach is that everything falls on you and that’s the loyalty you have to have.”
His first job back in Iowa was as Durant’s head coach, but after a couple of years he returned to Arizona. After four more years in the dessert he was Minnesota bound for a year, spent four years at Red Oak, and has been at CAM the last four years. “The good lord blessed me in so many different ways. My wife and I talked about this, but we do not regret going to so many different schools one bit. It has taught me there’s more than one way to skin a cat. You’re not always stuck in a rut because there are many different ways of doing things.”
Anyone that has ever watched coach Bower’s antics knows he’s all in. “That’s where the jumping around comes in there. I’m getting older and my bones can’t handle it, but I’ll ice bath the next day. I’m ok with that. That’s what the kids enjoy is they see the emotion and enthusiasm that you bring to the table. Once you lose that then I think it’s time to question why you’re in the business. If you start to lose that passion and that energy then it’s time.”
With the Cougars this former C&M Rocket is back in his old stomping grounds and working in the same community where he learned to play from head coach Dean Downer. “I get emotional when I talk about people that have influenced my life. He was a big motivator in my life. ‘Was he hard on me? Oh yes, he was very hard.’ But I think that’s why I am where I am today. He was my guy. That’s where I think the intensity comes.”
Bower once dreamed of coaching at the college level and even had an assistant position at Knox College lined up, but had a change of heart. “My wife and I went down to interview and got the job. We were about ready to put an offer on a house in Galesburg, Illinois. On the way back I had to pull over because I was just sobbing. ” Bower says his wife put down what she was reading and asked, “What is your problem?” Bower said, “I don’t know, I can’t do this. I had to call the coach back and decline the offer to be the defensive backs coach.” Bower’s wife said, “You’re crazy. I never thought you would decline a job to coach in college.” Bower said, “I just don’t think it’s going to work out. Then all of a sudden I got the job in Red Oak and got closer to family. I tell ya, it was the best decision I ever made.”
When Bower resigned at Red Oak he didn’t think he’d ever be a head coach again, but CAM turned out to be the right time and the right fit.
Previous Coaches
John Kesselring, Adair-Casey alum
Eric Maassen, (AHST grad) Sheldon
Jerome Hoegh, Atlantic grad (West Sioux)
Gaylord Schelling, Atlantic and Tri-Center
Chad Klein, Audubon Native (Kuemper Catholic and Boone)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Monte Riebhoff)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Steve Ahrendsen)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Scott Weber)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Curt Mace)
Chris Stimson, Elk Horn-Kimballton
Jan Jensen, Elk Horn-Kimballton alum
Seth Poldberg, EH-K grad and Guthrie Center coach
Trevor Gipple, (Griswold grad) SW Valley
Angie Spangenberg, Harlan and Red Oak
Eric Stein (Harlan grad) Iowa Central
Darrell Burmeister, Nodaway Valley
Lanny Kliefoth, Nodaway Valley
