Growing up in Roswell, Ga., Bower made a name for himself as an all-around athlete, excelling at whatever sport he was playing at the time. He was a part of state championship teams in football, baseball and basketball, but it was his football heroics that would foreshadow where his success would be the greatest. A prep All‑American at Roswell High, Bower guided his team to a pair of state championships in football and also was a starter on two state championship teams in baseball and in basketball. Following his senior season, Bower was named the Class AAA Georgia Back of the Year, and he also played in the Georgia High School All‑Star Game.

        Bower originally signed with the University of Georgia out of high school, but soon after made the decision to transfer after his first year with the program. Pondering several options, Bower felt that the best opportunity was at Southern Miss, playing for Head Coach P.W. Underwood. It was that opportunity which prompted the Georgia native to head west and become a main cog for successful Golden Eagle teams of the early 1970s.

        After sitting out a redshirt season in 1972, Bower took over as the Eagles' starting quarterback in 1973 and guided the team to a successful 6‑4‑1 mark. In his first season, he threw for 1,495 yards, while completing 116‑of‑199 passes. Nine of his throws found their way to the end zone for touchdowns.

        His .583 passing percentage during the 1973 season stood as a single‑season record at Southern Miss for 23 years -- falling by the side in 1996 at the hands of Lee Roberts. In addition, Bower finished that season ranked 26th nationally in passing, and he was an Associated Press All‑South honorable‑mention selection.

        Perhaps his best performance as an Eagle came during the 1973 season, when he threw for 291 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 85 yards and two more scores in a 41-14 victory over Texas-Arlington.

        During his junior season in 1974, Bower completed 87‑of‑162 pass attempts for 1,189 yards and nine touchdowns. The Golden Eagles finished that season with a remarkable 6‑5 record, despite having to play all 11 games on the road during the renovation of M.M. Roberts Stadium.

        As a senior in 1975, Bower was named team captain and responded by leading the Eagles to an 8-3 record.  He completed 75‑of‑145 pass attempts for 905 yards.  For his efforts that season, he was named team Most Valuable Player.

        Bower's career totals as a player included completing 278‑of‑506 passes for 3,589 yards and 20 touchdowns. He still ranks third on the Golden Eagle career list for completion percentage among players with a minimum 200 pass attempts with a .549 mark. He trails only two of his recent quarterbacks, Jeff Kelly (.582) and Lee Roberts (.569). His 1973 total offense mark of 1,706 yards, until recently, ranked in the top 10 at Southern Miss, and his 1,495 passing yards in 1973 only recently dropped out of the top 10.

        Only Brett Favre (1987‑90), Reggie Collier (1979‑82), Lee Roberts (1995‑98), Jeff Kelly (1999‑2000) and Dustin Almond (2002-05) rank ahead of Bower's 4,062 yards of career total offense. Ironically, Bower coached all five players during their playing days at Southern Miss. In addition, Bower still stands seventh in career passing yardage (3,589), completions (278), and attempts (506), and he is still fifth in career touchdown passes with 20.