Jeff Bower: My Coach of the Year, this, next, and every year

Jeff Bower is the successful (43-35-1) coach of the University of Southen Mississippi Golden Eagles; the school where he was a record-setting quarterback from 1973 to 1975. As a coach, he has known a great deal of success (coaching Brett Favre, leading his team to two consecutive Conference USA titles and two bowl trips) and, also, has suffered his fair share of setbacks. Both success and discouragement have forged the foundation of the man that has been high on the list of potential replacement coaches at several "big time" college programs during the past two seasons (Wyoming and Arkansas, just to name a couple of his suitors). Yet, this past fall through a tragic accident and the manner in which he handled the ultimate adversity, Bower became much more than a coach; he became a sterling example of everything that is right in the profession. In the early morning hours of September 13,