After graduating from Kansas State, Cowell coached for two years at Iola High School in Iola, Kansas. In 1924, he moved on to the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he accepted a position as the head coach for the freshman Florida Gators football team,[1] and later as an assistant coach for the Gators varsity from 1928 to 1932.[2] Cowell served as the head coach of the Florida Gators basketball team from 1925 to 1933, compiling an eight-season win–loss record of 83–96.[3] He also coached the Florida Gators baseball team from 1927 to 1933, tallying a seven-season record of 61–65–2.[4]
Cowell served as the athletic director and head football coach at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida from 1935 to 1948, leading the Stetson Hatters to a record of 32–40–7; Stetson did not field a team from 1941 to 1945 due to World War II.[5] Cowell was also the head coach of the Stetson Hatters basketball team for three one-season stints (1938–39, 1941–42, 1945–46), amassing a career college basketball record of 83–96.
Life after coaching
Cowell quit coaching after the 1948 football season, but remained Stetson's athletic director until his retirement in 1968.[6] He died on April 15, 1989, at his home in DeLand, Florida.[1]
^2010 Florida Gators Football Media Guide, Gator HistoryArchived June 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, p. 193 (2010). Retrieved March 30, 2011.
^2010–11 Florida Gators Men's Basketball Media Guide, Gator History & RecordsArchived September 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 113, 123–124 (2010). Retrieved May 10, 2011.