Longtime Prairie View assistant football coach Bubba McDowell has held the title of interim Panthers’ coach a few times over the last 11 years.
Now he is simply Coach McDowell.
Prairie View officially announced Tuesday night that McDowell, a former safety with the Houston Oilers and Carolina Panthers, has been hired to replace departed Eric Dooley as the Panthers’ new head football coach.
“I’m proud to have Coach McDowell as our new head of the football program,” PVAMU athletic director Donald Reed said in a released statement. “I chose Coach McDowell because of his vast and successful experiences in collegiate and professional football. His leadership style and student-athlete-centered approach align with our goals to see our athletes excel in the classroom, on the field, and in the community. I’m impressed by Coach McDowell’s commitment to PV, and I know he’ll lead us to accomplish great things.”
McDowell takes over a Prairie View program that had been on the rise the last four years under Dooley, finishing 7-5 and 6-2 to win the SWAC West Division title this past season. A big part of the Panthers’ success was their defense this season where McDowell was the cornerbacks coach and assistant head coach.
McDowell could not be reached for comment.
McDowell, who had coached cornerbacks the last three seasons and had been the assistant head coach the last eight seasons, takes over for Dooley after he left PV to take over at Southern University in Baton Rouge after resigning shortly after last month’s SWAC Championship loss to Jackson State.
McDowell retired from playing in 1996 and it was long before the desire to coach emerged. He coached at Texas Southern from 2003 to 2006 before moving over to coach at University of Houston under Art Briles.
McDowell also coached at the high school level for several years before moving onto the college ranks. He also completed NFL Minority Coaching internships with the Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins and Texans.
