Barry Bowman

The Cape Coral High School football team will have a new leader at the helm when they next take the field in 2021.

Cape High announced this week the appointment of Barry Bowman to head varsity football coach for the Seahawks following Dale More’s retirement.

“I’m excited about it,” Bowman said. “I’m looking forward to getting started.

Bowman served as Cape’s defensive coordinator last season (his first with the program) and spearheaded a unit that allowed just 206 total yards per game.

“I was proud of all of the kids last year and especially those on the defensive side,” Bowman said. “I think they bought into what we’re trying to do and more importantly they bought into me. I’m a relationship guy, and that’s probably my strength.”

Bowman, 56, brings an impressive head-coaching resume to the table. He coached for more than 30 years in the ultra-competitive Texas high school football climate and compiled a record of 107-41 as a head coach. Bowman boasts a 26-6 playoff record and has claimed three state championships. Bowman has earned 17 different “Coach of the Year” awards during his tenure in Texas and was recently named to the “Top 10 All-Time Coaches in East Texas” by the Texas High School Coaches Association.

Bowman said what sets him apart from other coaches is his ability to create a bond with his team and instill the culture he finds to be successful.

“Everybody on the football field at any school (are all) doing the same stuff. There aren’t any secrets. So it comes down to getting kids to play for you, play hard and buy into what you’re doing.

“I think (building that culture) has always been a strength of mine. It’s just relationships with players. It’s not just solely for football purposes, but life in general.”

Bowman said no matter the offensive style, defensive formation or scheme, doing the little things right is what makes the difference.

“When it gets right down to it, it’s about the intangibles, the ‘little things’ are really not the ‘little things,'” Bowman said. “I would say that’s been a strength of mine through the years.”

While Bowman now takes the reigns of a Seahawk program that has struggled on the scoreboard in recent years, he has the utmost respect for More and what he accomplished in his career and at Cape.

“(More) has been nothing but good to me,” Bowman said. “For him to turn (the defensive) side of the ball over to me and completely let me run it, I’m appreciative of that and him and what he has started here. There will be several things we will continue to build upon. Anytime there’s change there are going to be differences, but certainly coach More is a first-class human being, coach, and a better man.”

Bowman eventually ended up in Southwest Florida after a long and winding road through a pandemic and trips to multiple programs around the state. He and his wife knew they wanted to retire in the Sunshine State, but Bowman’s itch to coach isn’t ready to dissipate any time soon.

Bowman said coach More and his family played a big role in his decision to come to Cape Coral last season, as he could have secured any of the many positions he applied for with the help of the Florida High School Athletic Association.

“I’m not ready to quit coaching and won’t be for several years,” Bowman said. “We felt Cape Coral was the best fit for us and felt that we were coming to a good place. We love it here.”

Bowman attended Louisiana Tech University where he played Division 1 football before a short stint in the NFL with the Rams and Seahawks as a punter.

–Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad_cj