Vic Rowen

Education

Columbia University.

Career

He served as the head football coach at Defiance College from 1951 to 1953 and at University from 1961 to 1989, compiling a career college football record of 132–173–10. His tenure of 28 years as head coach spanned over half of the length of time college football was played at the school. Rowen was also the head basketball coach at for a season in 1957-1958, tallying a mark of 9–13.

Born Brooklyn, New York, Rowen played college football at Long Island University, and later went on to earn a doctorate in physical education from Columbia University.

Rowen got his start as a college coach at Ohio"s Defiance College in 1951. He joined as an assistant coach in 1954 under Joe Verducci, until becoming head coach in 1961.

In Rowen"s early years, was a west-coast small college football powerhouse, winning eight Far Western Conference titles before 1967. This early success lead his team to attract a great deal of football talent to the university and was well known for its football during this time.

All of that changed during the student strike of 1968, which crippled football at SFSU. did not have a winning season between 1973 and when the program was cancelled in 1995.

Rowen was also the president of the American Football Coaches Association in 1986. Rowen has had two of his assistant coaches go on to lead teams as head coach in Super Bowls: Andy Reid with the Philadelphia Eagles and Mike Holmgren with both the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks. Gil Haskell, now offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, also was an assistant coach to Rowen.

Bob Toledo, now head coach at Tulane University, played quarterback at under Rowen.

Floyd Peters, former defensive coordinator of the Oakland Raiders, was a defensive lineman under Rowen. Rowen"s son, Keith, has coached in the NFL with various teams for over 25 years.

Rowen died January 14, 2013 aged 93.

Achievements

• While noted for producing outstanding players and coaches who would go on to win with other programs, football under Rowen’s later years was not as successful as other Division II college football teams.