Jeff Bower Is Fired, Er, Resigns, Er, wha?

Sounds like it was a "mutual decision".

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071126/NEWS01/71126031

Unless there is something going on that we don't know about, I don't understand why any AD in his right mind would want a coach who has posted 14 straight winning seasons at a place like USM to leave.

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If you look carefully at Bower's wording at the press conference, you'll see the only thing mutual was that Bower had resigned, not that he should.

"After meeting with Richard Giannini this morning, we came to a mutual decision, that I have resigned as the head football coach at Southern Miss."

Bower wasn't filling seats for games. That was the reason. After 17 years of pure devotion, and a great record on and off the field it was solely a business decision.

See you later, Coach... Who's next?

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What makes it even more outrageous is that Bower has been loyal to USM for so long. Many coaches with his reputation would have bolted for a major program.

In this day and age, loyalty from the fans and admin. just doesn't seem to exist anymore, even at a place like USM.

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I guess Jeff Bower wanted a change of scenery after fourteen season at Southern Mississippi University. I am shocked that he quit after this season.

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The word is that he met with the AD and was told that his contract was not going to be renewed. That would basically mean that he was "let go", "laid off", fired. He is a good coach, ran a clean program, and graduated his kids. To compete on a national level with the big teams, you've got to have the money for facilities and recruiting. He did the best in both areas on the budget he was provided. I hope Ole Miss looks at him real hard. A good coach, better facilities, better budget, and SEC football; Ole Miss may be good for Bower and Bower good for Ole Miss.

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SOUTHERN MISS MADE A HUGE MISTAKE HERE. COACH BOWER LED A SCHOOL THAT REALLY HAS NO NATIONAL RECOGNITION ON ITS OWN AND MADE IT RECOGNIZED. COACHES LIKE HIM ARE AROUND FOR THE HIRING. WHEN SOUTHERN DOES NOT GOT TO A BOWL IN A YEAR OR TWO AND HAS SEVERAL LOSING SEASONS, THEN MAYBE THE IDIOTS THAT DID NOT RENEW HIS CONTRACT WILL BE FIRED. BY THEN WILL BE TOO LATE. COACH BOWER WILL SORELY BE MISSED.

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first, you people do not even know the name of the University in question... The University of Southern Mississippi is where Jeff "the always 6-6/7-5" Bower coached. second, why do you think that Jeff was so loyal? the money? the fan support? the prestige? no to all of the above. its because he CAN NOT and WILL NOT coach at a better program. everyone in there right mind would pass on the coach who lead his team to a home defeat against the 114 ranked Rice Eagles... hmmmmmmm. third, he is notorious for passing over the local talent. the baseball team at Southern Miss has been recruiting almost solely from the local/state schools and has been a VERY successful team (multiple 30 win seasons). fourth, Jeff hasnt lead his team to a ten win season in the "all powerful" C-USA (not one top 25 team in the whole conference) for the better part of a century. and last but not least, he has NEVER been able to put a team together that will fill a stadium with only 32,000 seats for an entire season. so lets take a few of these points into consideration when making our minds about how "dumb" it was to fire Jeff Bower.

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This is good for the Program. Bower "was" a good coach. He got stuck in a rut. He became satisfied with a 7-5 record, and as for going to a Bowl game year after year. Its not difficult to be invited to a bowl, you only have to win 6 games. ConUSA is stedly going down

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This is best for the USM program. Bower was in a rut and satisfied with going 7-5 every year and being selected to any bowl game. Its not hard to make it to a bowl, you only have to win 6 games. ConUSA is going down and so was USM. We should have been ConUSA champs every year.

"Mizingo" you said "no national recognition" did you watch the games on tv this year, the ones we lost! Have you ever heard of Brett Favre, Ray Guy, Adalious Thomas, etc. Other programs know us.

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Jeff would be a gret selection for Arkansas and that would be a great "promotion" for him. USM made a big mistake and displayed real lack of class in treating Jeff as they have.

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Shades of Nebraska when they dismissed Frank Solich! See what they got????

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Nebraska should offer Jeff Bower their head coaching job, he is the closest they will ever get to Tom Osborne again. Great coach, greater man.

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Maybe now East Carolina can finally beat Southern Miss. Bower owner the Pirates.

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Coach Jeff Bower is the epitome of a head football coach; he is the complete package. Over the past 17 years, HE has demonstrated the ability to take an extremely low budget D-1 football program and convert it into the number one program in the State of Mississippi. HE has made the name "Southern Miss" a household name among sports broadcasters and has gained the respect of his fellow head coaches from around the country. Additionally, HE has done all of this while obtaining one the highest graduation rates in the nation among his athletes. He is a man of integrity and compassion and a winning football coach to boot! This is a sad, sad, sorry day in the college sports community and a black eye for the university he loves.

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"Making a winner out of an otherwise anonymous program"???? You need to go back and do some research about the Southern Miss program prior to Bower's head coaching job. Look back at their records and the teams they beat and were competitive with year in and year out, including Bear Bryant's Crimson Tide. Guys like Reggie Collier, Sammy Winder, Ray Guy, etc. were leading the Eagles to many great seasons of Top 10 and 20 finishes. Jeff Bower didn't invent Southern Miss football.

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NO JEFF DID NOT INVENT SOUTHERN MISS FOOTBALL HE TOOK IT THE NEXT LEVEL AND WAS THE BEST COACH SOUTHERN EVER HAD AND WILL HAVE. ANY IDIOT COULD SEE THAT. HE WORKED WITH A PROGRAM THAT HAS NO BUDGET AND LITTLE COMMUNITY SUPPORT. THE TEAM GOT LITTLE SUPPORT EVEN WHEN BRETT AND ADAILAUS THOMAS WERE THERE. YOU THINK A BIG NAME COACH IS COMING HERE. SO SOUNDS LIKE USM IS DOWNGRADING AND DISRESPECTED COACH BOWER. ALL OF YOU THAT WANTED HIM GONE, CAREFULL WHAT U WISH FOR, YOU JUST GOT IT!!! LESS THAN MEDOCRITY!!

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Coach Bower was an asset to the Eagles. The loyalty he has shown this scholl is unheard of today. He has made the "short list" for larger schools several times. I personally know he turned down an offer to UGA. Every great Coach in footbal has had up and down years. The "Bear", Dooley, Landry, Walsh has had better years than others. Though I love to loath him look at Spurrier's path. Anyone that thinks USM's woe's lie solely in the hands of Coach Bower is sadly mistaken. He is a winner and with all the firings he will get picked up. I hope he goes to a large program like Nebraska or Arkansas where there are plenty of resources and talent. Then routes USM 70-3 in a homecoming game.
Those who think they know coaching, sign up and coach little league then magnify that 100x. How soon Fans forget!! When Coach Bower comes back to town with his new army, "Take the whippin' he hands you personally". I'll be sure to be in the stands.

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It was a completely disloyal decision on the AD's part to let Coach Bower go. Coach Bower has been courted by other programs in the past when the team was extremely successful and has always stuck with Southern Miss. When I attended the away game in Nebraska that we won in 2004, it was amazing! Being one of the few (of course) gold shirts in a sea of red is a memory I will never forget. Beating Alabama, Liberty Bowl, etc. Thanks for the memories, Coach Bower!

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Now that we've shown [mostly] our support for Coach Bower do we need to begin thinking about who might be hired? How about Frank Solich, if he could be convinced to come to USM?

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WOW! Do any of you even attend or have any of you attended this university? Some of this seems like a bunch of pointless chatter from know-it-alls who clearly know nothing! Bower's no quitter! It's blatantly obvious he was fired! It had nothing to do with not filling the seats because from what I've seen, the ROCK housed some pretty loyal followers! Bower being FIRED, had nothing to do with what was best for this program (FOR GOODNESS SAKES, LOOK AT THE MAN'S WINNING SEASONS STREAK AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, HIS GRADUATION RATE!)and everything to do with the fat wallet bastards who donate to the program and think they know football, but can only shell out money and hope to live vicariously through Coach Bower! The ones who threaten to pull their funds if they don't get their way! WHAT A BUNCH OF LOSERS! I guess money really does talk and the greedy bastards at USM, as at most schools, heard every word! No this season wasn't as great as it could've been, but it was a winning season and we're going to a bowl game! Why not end the season by going ahead and winning this bowl game =), allow time to regroup, and come back and bust some heads next season with Bower...and the rest of the coaching staff?!

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