Eddie Vowell

Eddie Ray Vowell (born December 13, 1946) is a retired American football coach. He is best known for serving as head football coach at Texas A&M University–Commerce—now known as East Texas A&M University—from 1986 to 1998.

In 1985, Hawkins announced his retirement from coaching and transitioned to athletic administration at East Texas State. Vowell was hired as head football coach. In Vowell's first two seasons, the Lions struggled, posting 2–9 records in 1986 and 1987, but the 1988 Lion team finished with an 8–3 record and reached as high as #2 in the national polls before dropping their two final games to lose out on a conference title and playoff bid. Nonetheless, he was named conference Coach of The Year. The Lions regressed to 4–6 in 1989, but then posted a 10–3 season in 1990 and won the Lone Star Conference with a perfect 7–0 record. They qualified for the national playoffs in 1990, losing in the National Quarterfinals, of which Vowell was once again named Coach of the Year in the Lone Star Conference. In 1991, the Lions finished second in LSC and returned to the playoffs, finishing as national quarterfinalists again and posting an 8–3 record in 1992. After two .500 seasons, the 1995 Lions returned to the playoffs, finishing 11th in the country. Vowell retired at the end of the 1998 season.

Arena Football League Vowell was an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League from 1998 to 2002 and again from 2007 to 2008. He also coached the Austin Wranglers as an assistant.

Notable players coached Bobby Bounds, starting quarterback for the AFL's Cleveland Thunderbolts Gary Compton, wide receiver in the NFL, WLF, and AFL Mike Trigg, quarterback and coach in the Arena Football League Clint Dolezel, Hall of Fame Arena League quarterback and current coach of the Philadelphia Soul Curtis Buckley, NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers. Kevin Mathis, NFL's Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons Antonio Wilson, NFL's Minnesota Vikings and the CFL's Edmontons Eskimos Cedric Bonner, NFL's Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins Bo Kelly, fullback in the Arena Football League Billy Minor, NFL's Philadelphia Eagles and Arena League's Dallas Texans

Personal Vowell lives in Campbell, Texas, just south of Commerce, with his wife Jan.

Honors 2 Time Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year (1988, 1990) 2 Time Lone Star Conference Champion (1983 as an ASST), 1990 (As Head Coach) 3 Time NCAA Division II Playoff Qualifier (1990, 1991, 1995) Texas A&M University-Commerce Athletic Hall of Fame (2011)

Head coaching record College