Ex-Auburn football HC who was a consistent winner already had last shot at coaching

Former Auburn football head coach Terry Bowden set a winning standard on the Plains; leading the Tigers to at least eight wins in five of his six seasons in charge, and a double-digit win total in two of them. Unfortunately, he didn't do so with ULM, who went 10-26 during his three years there.

Bowden has since been fired and replaced with the 2024 Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Watch List's Bryant Vincent in Monroe, Louisiana. According to CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd, that may have been Bowden's last shot at being a head coach -- and he gave Bowden's re-grade of his 2021 Warhawks hiring a D-.

"At age 66, Bobby Bowden's son wanted one more shot," Dodd prefaced before saying, "He got it three years ago at ULM but didn't last to 2024 after going 10-26. The Warhawks are in the middle of a dramatic turnaround under first-year coach Bryant Vincent, however. They've won five games and stand a half game out of first in the division. Win two more and the Warhawks would have their most wins since 2012."

Terry Bowden was great at every stop but ULM

Bowden's career was largely successful outside of Louisiana-Monroe. At Auburn, even though they were bowl ineligible Bowden's first two years, his Tigers had a 47-17 record in five and a half seasons. Akron wasn't a punchline when he ran the show, enjoying trips to two of only three bowl games in the Zips' entire program history. North Alabama, Samford, and Division II Salem (West Virginia) were successful programs while he was there.

ULM was his one unsuccessful venture. That they're good now speaks far more to Vincent's success than Bowden's failures during his final coaching stop.

If Bowden is officially done as a head coach, he'll finish his career with 185 wins and 140 losses.