Jeff Bower Year-By-Year
Year School Position Record
1968 Roswell High Player
State Champs in Football
1969 Roswell High Player
State Champs in Baseball
1970-71 Roswell High Player
State Champs in Football, Baseball and Basketball
Georgia Class AAA Back of the year/Georgia All Star
1971 Georgia Player 11-1
1972 Southern Miss Player/Redshirt 3-7-1
1973 Southern Miss Player 6-4-1
AP All South (HM)
1974 Southern Miss Player 6-5
1975 Southern Miss Player 8-3
Team Captain/MVP
1976 Southern Miss Graduate Assistant 3-8
1977 Southern Miss Graduate Assistant 6-6
1978 Southern Miss QBs and WRs 7-4
1979 Southern Miss QBs and WRs 6-4-1
1980 Southern Miss QBs and WRs 9-3
Independence Bowl Champions
1981 Southern Miss QBs and WRs 9-2-1
Tangerine Bowl
1982 SMU Quarterbacks 11-0-1
Cotton Bowl Champions
1983 SMU Quarterbacks 10-2
Sun Bowl
1984 SMU Quarterbacks 10-2
Aloha Bowl Champions
1985 SMU Quarterbacks 6-5
1986 SMU Quarterbacks 6-5
1987 Wake Forest Quarterbacks 7-4
1988 Southern Miss Asst HC/OC/QB 10-2
Independence Bowl Champions
1989 Southern Miss Asst HC/OC/QB 5-6
1990 Oklahoma State OC/QB 4-7
Southern Miss Head Coach 0-1
All American Bowl
1991 Southern Miss Head Coach 4-7
1992 Southern Miss Head Coach 7-4
1993 Southern Miss Head Coach 2-8-1
1994 Southern Miss Head Coach 6-5
1995 Southern Miss Head Coach 6-5
1996 Southern Miss Head Coach 8-3
Conference USA Champions
1997 Southern Miss Head Coach 9-3
Conference USA Champions
Conference USA Coach of the Year
AXA Liberty Bowl Champs
1998 Southern Miss Head Coach 7-5
Humanitarian Bowl
1999 Southern Miss Head Coach 9-3
Conference USA Champs
Conference USA Coach of the Year
AXA Liberty Bowl Champs
2000 Southern Miss Head Coach 8-4
GMAC Mobile Alabama Bowl Champions
2001 Southern Miss Head Coach 6-5
2002 Southern Miss Head Coach 7-6
Houston Bowl
2003 Southern Miss Head Coach 9-4
Conference USA Champions
Conference USA Coach of the Year
AXA Liberty Bowl
2004 Southern Miss Head Coach 7-5
Wyndham New Orleans Bowl Champions
Conference USA Coach of the Decade
2005 Southern Miss Head Coach 7-5
New Orleans Bowl Champions
2006 Southern Miss Head Coach 9-5
Conference USA East Division Champions
GMAC Bowl Champions
Jeff Bower Against All Opponents
Team W L T PCT.
Alabama 2 12 0 .143
Arkansas State* 1 0 0 1.000
Army 3 0 0 1.000
Auburn 1 2 0 .333
California 0 2 0 .000
Cincinnati 6 4 0 .600
Colorado State 2 0 0 1.000
Delta State 1 0 0 1.000
East Carolina* 11 5 0 .688
Florida 0 4 0 .000
Florida State 0 1 0 .000
Georgia 1 1 0 .500
Houston 7 3 0 .700
Idaho 0 1 0 .000
Illinois 2 0 0 1.000
Indiana 0 1 0 .000
Louisiana-Lafayette 7 1 0 .875
Louisiana-Monroe 1 0 0 1.000
Louisiana State 1 0 0 1.000
Louisiana Tech 1 1 0 .500
Louisville 5 5 0 .500
Jackson State 1 0 0 1.000
Marshall* 2 0 0 1.000
McNeese State 1 0 0 1.000
Memphis* 11 5 0 .688
Nebraska 1 2 0 .333
Nevada 2 0 0 1.000
North Carolina State 1 2 0 .333
Northern Illinois 1 1 0 .500
North Texas 1 0 0 1.000
Northwestern (La.) State 1 0 0 1.000
Ohio 1 0 0 1.000
Oklahoma State 2 1 0 .667
Penn State 0 2 0 .000
Pittsburgh 1 2 0 .333
Samford 1 0 0 1.000
Southeastern Louisiana 1 0 0 1.000
Tennessee* 0 3 0 .000
Texas A&M 0 3 0 .000
TCU 2 3 0 .400
Tulane 13 3 0 .813
Tulsa 2 3 1 .417
UAB* 7 0 0 1.000
UCF* 2 0 0 1.000
USF 3 1 0 .750
Utah 0 1 0 .000
Utah State 2 0 0 1.000
Virginia Tech 1 2 0 .333
TOTALS 112 77 1 .592
*2007 Opponents
***Put these in the columns where they were last year***
The Bower Years
1991: 4-7
All-South Independent Selections: 7
The Golden Eagles defeated Delta State, 24-7, for Bower's first career victory on Aug. 31, 1991. While the team managed just four wins that season, the victories included a 10-9 victory on the road over No. 16 Auburn -- Bower's first career win over a ranked opponent.
1992: 7-4
All-South Independent Selections: 9
After starting the season 3-3, Southern Miss finished strong with a 4-1 mark, culminating in a 13-12 win over Virginia Tech. Three of the four losses were by 10 points or less, including a four-point late season loss to Florida.
1993: 3-7-1
All-South Independent Selections: 5
The Golden Eagles fought through a challenging 3-7-1 season that included three losses by one touchdown or less. A pair of wins came against Louisiana-Monroe and East Carolina, while the final was a forfeit victory over Alabama. The season ended with a 30-30 tie on the road at Tulsa.
1994: 6-5
All-South Independent Selections: 3
Despite starting with a 2-3 record, Southern Miss rallied in the latter half of the season, winning four of the last five including a 20-18 win over LSU in the final game of the season, ensuring a winning season for the second time in Bower's tenure.
1995: 6-5
All-South Independent Selections: 11
While the record shows five losses, the season could easily have been better. Of the five losses, four of them were by four points or less, including a one-point loss to Indiana. The Golden Eagles finished with a pair of wins to end the season, moving the winning season streak to two years. During the season, Bower notched his 25th career victory with a 17-9 win over Memphis on Nov. 11, 1995.
1996: 8-3, 4-1 C-USA Champions
All-Conference USA Selections: 13
Southern Miss made their inaugural season in Conference USA a good one, finishing with a share of the league's first championship. The season opened with an 11-7 win on the road over Georgia, and the team ran off seven wins in a row during the season. The Golden Eagles were denied a berth in the Liberty Bowl, however, as the spot went to Houston, who defeated Southern Miss 56-49 in the final league game of the season. During the season, Southern Miss was ranked for four weeks in the AP Poll and two weeks in the Coaches' Poll, climbing as high as Nos. 20 and 22, respectively.
1997: 9-3, 6-0 C-USA Champions
Final Ranking: 19 (AP and Coaches)
All-Conference USA Selections: 15
All-American Honors: 1
The Golden Eagles enjoyed one of the best seasons under Bower's direction, finishing with a 9-3 overall record. After dropping the season opener to Florida, the team ran off six wins in the next seven games. Standing at 6-3 with a pair of games remaining in league play, the Golden Eagles defeated Houston and Memphis to secure the outright league championship and a berth in the Liberty Bowl. It was the first bowl game since the 1990 season, and the Golden Eagles defeated Pittsburgh, 41-7. The team was ranked the both of the major polls for six weeks each, ending the year ranked 19th in both of them. Bower earned his first C-USA Coach of the Year award, and defensive back Patrick Surtain was named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year.
1998: 7-5, 5-1 C-USA
All-Conference USA Selections: 11
All-American Honors: 4
After starting the season with a 1-3 record, including a loss to eventual league champion Tulane, Southern Miss won six of the last seven games in the regular season to ensure a fifth-straight winning season and a second-straight trip to a postseason bowl, taking on Idaho in the Humanitarian Bowl. During the season, Bower tallied his 50th career win with a 55-28 decision on the road at Nevada. Adalius Thomas won his first of two C-USA Defensive Player of the Year awards, while newcomer Derrick Nix earned the league's Freshman of the Year honors.
1999: 9-3, 6-0 C-USA Champions
Final Ranking: 13 (Coaches), 14 (AP)
All-Conference USA Selections: 16
All-American Honors: 6
The Golden Eagles started things off in a big way with a 48-14 league victory over rival Tulane on Labor Day. With a 2-2 record following four games, however, the team got things rolling over the final stretch of the season, winning six of the last seven and taking home the third league championship in four seasons. Another postseason appearance in the Liberty Bowl was the reward and the Golden Eagles capped the season off with a 23-17 win over Colorado State. The team was ranked in both of the major polls for a total of eight weeks with the final ranking of 13th in the Coaches Poll and 14th in AP Poll as the highest rankings since the 1981 season. Adalius Thomas was the league's Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight year, while Bower won Coach of the Year honors for the second time.
2000: 8-4, 4-3 C-USA
All-Conference USA Selections: 11
All-American Honors: 3
After starting the season with a 3-point loss to Tennessee, Southern Miss reeled off six straight wins, climbing as high as 11th in the polls. Included in that string was a 21-0 victory over nationally-ranked Alabama. But the team's success waned over the final four regular season games with three losses in the span. Still, the record was good enough to earn Southern Miss an invitation to the GMAC Bowl where they would face nationally-ranked TCU. In the game, Jeff Kelly connected with Kenneth Johnson for a touchdown in the final seconds of the game, giving Southern Miss its third bowl win in four seasons. The team was ranked a total of 13 times in the two major polls. Cedric Scott was named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year, the fourth-straight Southern Miss player to win the award.
2001: 6-5, 4-3 C-USA
All-Conference USA Selections: 11
All-American Honors: 1
The Golden Eagles opened the season with three-straight wins for the first time during Bower's tenure. But the fast start gave way to a 3-5 record over the final eight games, including a 12-14 loss to TCU in the final game of the regular season. The winning record did extend the streak of consecutive winning seasons to eight.
2002: 7-6, 5-3 C-USA
All-Conference USA Selections: 8
All-American Honors: 7
Southern Miss again started the season with a 3-0 record, including a 23-20 victory over Illinois in Hattiesburg, which also was Bower's 75th career coaching victory. The team couldn't get a rhythm going, though, over the next six games with a 3-3 record. The trend continued over the final three games of the regular season, but a 24-7 win over East Carolina secured a ninth-straight winning season and a trip to the Houston Bowl, the fifth-postseason bowl appearance in six seasons.
2003: 9-4, 8-0 C-USA Champions
All-Conference USA Selections: 18
All-American Honors: 9
Despite a rough start with a 3-3 record over the first six games, a return to Conference USA supremacy would be in the cards for the Golden Eagles in 2003. Following the early struggles, the team righted the ship with six-straight victories to end the regular season with a 9-3 record, a fourth league championship and a third trip to the Liberty Bowl. Included in the string of wins to end the season was a 40-28 victory over top-10 ranked and previously unbeaten TCU. Rod Davis earned the league's Defensive Player of the Year honors, and Bower won an unprecedented third Coach of the Year award.
2004: 7-5, 5-3 C-USA
All-Conference USA Selections: 9
All-American Honors: 10
After opening the season with a 21-17 upset over perennial powerhouse Nebraska, Southern Miss tallied three more victories in a row to start the season at 4-0 for the first time in Bower's tenure. Following a setback non-conference loss, the team got back on track with a 51-10 homecoming win over East Carolina for a 5-1 record and hopes of another successful C-USA run. But as good as the season started, however, the tail end of the slate wasn't as kind, as Southern Miss dropped four of its last five games. Still, the team earned a spot in the New Orleans Bowl and picked up a 31-10 win over North Texas in the event, extending the winning-season streak to 11. During the season, Southern Miss appeared in the national polls in three different weeks. Michael Boley was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year and John Eubanks was the Special Teams Player of the Year.
2005: 7-5, 5-3 C-USA
All-Conference USA Selections: 11
All-American Honors: 6
The 2005 season proved from the onset to be one of the toughest ever for the Southern Miss program -- and none of it had to do with the game of football. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster ever to affect the U.S. ravaged parts of Mississippi and Louisiana, postponing the season opener against Tulane and sending Southern Miss to a "home away from home" in Memphis. After just two games, Hurricane Rita postponed the game at Houston, sending the Golden Eagles schedule into one that would feature a strenuous four-game road stretch. Among the five losses on the season were three of four points or less. During the season, Bower earned the 100th career victory with a 37-28 win over UAB. The team did receive its fourth-straight invitation to a postseason bowl as Southern Miss defeated Arkansas State, 31-19, in the New Orleans Bowl at Lafayette. Kevis Coley was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year, the third-straight and seventh overall for Southern Miss in league history.
2006: 9-5, 6-2 C-USA
All-Conference USA Selections: 12
All-American Honors: 4
Southern Miss defeated NC State and won at UCF in its first four games. The Golden Eagles reeled off four-straight victories to end the regular season and captured the Conference USA East Division crown. That winning streak enabled the team to record its 13th straight winning season as they reached their fifth-straight bowl and nine in the last 10 years. The late run by the Golden Eagles pitted them in the league championship game against Houston. Despite losing to the Cougars, the Golden Eagles scored an outstanding win in the GMAC Bowl by scoring three second-quarter touchdowns and then a long drive for a score in the third quarter to beat Ohio 28-7 in Mobile. It was the first nine-win season for the program since 2003. The season also saw the emergence of freshman running back Damion Fletcher, who ran for a freshman-record 1,388 yards.
