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2013 FURMAN PALADINS FOOTBALL HEAD COACH BRUCE FOWLER Determination Has Long Been Fowler Trademark By Abe Hardesty, www.furmanpaladins.com I n the fall of 1979, the confidence level of freshman wide receiver Gib McEachran was sinking faster than Furman's hopes of a winning season. The Paladins had lost all four September games, and three of the defeats – including a 45-14 thrashing by Chattanooga – were dealt at supposedly-friendly Sirrine Stadium. It was enough to make McEachran second-guess his college choice. And the confidence waned in early October, when McEachran was asked to move to cornerback. For a freshman who had never played defense in high school, a move to one of the most difficult positions in football was a daunting task. The transition was helped considerably by an unlikely source – Bruce Fowler, Furman's starting cornerback. "Bruce knew that I was being moved over there to take his starting job away from him," McEachran recalls, "and yet there was no animosity. He coached me every step of the way. "Here was a junior who had worked hard to become a starter and could see that he was going to lose that starting position to a freshman. Most guys wouldn't have reacted well to that. But he did everything he could to get me ready to play there," McEachran says, still sounding a bit surprised at the process. "I knew right then he was going to be a coach in college someday." Fowler contributed significant playing time as a fifth defensive back and on special teams the rest of that season and in 1980. But his greatest contribution might have been the development of McEachran and another receiver-turned-defender, Ernest Gibson. By 1980, McEachran and Gibson were entrenched as dependable cornerbacks, and became building blocks of dominant Furman teams. Despite the demotion, Fowler ranks that 1980 season as his the most enjoyable of his playing career. McEachran and Gibson were centerpiece elements of a secondary that also included strong safety Chris Buono and free safety Jeff Burke. All four became All-Southern Conference performers. "They were better than I was," says Fowler, who shared the team lead with three interceptions in 1979 and ranked high with his 35 solo tackles in a half-season as a starter. "I wanted to play full-time, but those guys were really good." The experience was difficult for a young man so competitive that he tried every sport in his youth and even today relishes high-intensity table tennis matches with teenage son Jake. In preparation for life, Fowler says the loss of the starting role was a disguised benefit. "I learned what it was like to take on a new role, and be a role player," says Fowler. "That helped me as much as anything as a coach." It also helped, Fowler says, that during that 0-5 start of 1979, he received a first-hand glimpse of the value of positive thinking. "Coach (Dick) Sheridan was a great communicator, and he helped me to see that I needed to have a different role," says Fowler. "I've always thought, when it comes to your faith and everything else, that when things don't go your way, a positive attitude helps you the most," says Fowler. "We had great success and I had a great time that season." Fowler's commitment to the team success was so high that the person who knew him best at the time, roommate/teammate Tim Sorrells, says Fowler never complained about his new role. "Unlike a lot of kids who feel entitled to a position in that situation, Bruce never felt entitled to anything. We never had a discussion along the lines that 'this is not fair,'" Sorrells recalls. "He accepted that the new guys were good and would make our team better; and to make the most of the talent he had, Bruce had to accept a new role. Which he did." Many believe that Furman's Southern Conference dominance that began in 1980 had its roots in that discouraging autumn of 1979. After the 0-5 start, which included humbling defeats at the hands of old Up- Bruce Fowler's experience as a role player at Furman played a huge role in state rivals Presbyterian and his development as a coach. Wofford, the Paladins rallied in stunning fashion – beating five Southern Conference couldn't help but admire. rivals in those last six games. Had an extra-point kick not "When he visited, I asked him if he ate grits," says sailed wide of the upright in a 21-20 October setback at Baker. Lexington, Va., the Paladins would have claimed a share "He said, 'what are grits?' "I said, that's what you're gonna have to start eating if of the league championship. "The way we finished was pretty exciting," Fowler re- you're gonna gain some weight." calls. "That last half (of the season) catapulted us to the Fowler never gained much weight, but his intensity gained attention and respect. He was a member of the next year." The '80 season was memorable for its near-perfec- kickoff coverage unit that year, and gained marked tion. Division I-A at the time (and not eligible for a I-AA strength – and football knowledge – over the next two playoff bid), the Paladins were unbeaten after an open- years. That enabled him to offset his limitations in speed ing loss to a top-10 North Carolina team, finishing a per- and size. fect 7-0 in Southern Conference play and 9-1-1 overall. "You couldn't tell him he couldn't play; when you did, That gave Fowler's senior class, the final one recruited he was more determined to prove that he could," Baker with Art Baker at the top of the staff, with a 26-15-3 re- says. It was hardly a new role for Fowler, a sports nut who cord – the best for a Furman class since the 1930s. Baker, who moved to The Citadel after the 1977 was small even by high school standards. season, vividly recalls studying film alongside assistant "I was undersized," admits Fowler, who as a freshman coach Steve Robertson of the Mariemont (Ohio) defen- carried about 150 pounds on a 5-foot-9 frame. "But I sive unit that spring. His staff had used all its 50 schol- dreamed I could make it." arships, but in what became his final recruiting season Football has been a big part of Fowler's life, primarily at Furman, Baker was intrigued by a small defensive because Fowler brought more than a dream to the pracback who wanted to join the team as a non-scholarship tice field. A mental toughness remains his trademark when he steps onto the football field. player. " He was a scrawny little fellow and we didn't have "I was a guy who tried hard and liked it a lot," Fowler any more scholarships to give, but we sure liked the recalls. "I even enjoyed the training part of it." way he played. He had an intensity about him that you The dream to play his favorite sport on the college levFurman 34 Paladins