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Jerry Bowe - East Troy / West Allis Central / Cudahy

03/01/1996, 12:00am CST
By Wisconsin Sports Network

Inducted in 1996

Graduated from Cudahy High School, 1950, B.A. in English from UW-Whitewater, M.A. in Reading from Dominican College of Racine

Head football and head track coach, East Troy, 1959-62; assistant football, basketball, and track coach, West Allis Central, 1962-68; head football coach, West Allis Central, 1964-68; head football coach, Cudahy High School, 1969-92, and assistant golf coach.

Jerry's football teams had seven conference championships and six state playoff appearances. He was named District VII Coach of the Year 79,81,82,88; Southern Lakes Coach of the Year; Assistant Coach South Shrine All Star Game, 1981 Milwaukee Metro Coach of the Year, 1982; WFCA 100-150 victory awards; WFCA 25-30 years award.

In high school Jerry lettered in football, basketball, baseball, tennis and boxing. After high school he enlisted in the United States Air Force. While stationed in Tokyo, Japan, he played quarterback on the Far East Air Force headquarter's command team for three seasons.

Following his discharge from the Air Force in 1955, he accepted a football scholarship to Kansas University. He transferred to UW-Whitewater at mid-term and played three years at quarterback for Whitewater. At the same time he also played quarterback for the City of Cudahy, a semi-professional team in the old Bi-State League. He was elected captain for the 1959 Whitewater football squad, but he passed up his senior season to take the head football coaching position at East Troy.

At East Troy he was named Coach of the Year in the Southern Lakes Conference when his team posted an undefeated 9-0 season. In 1962 he moved to West Allis Central as an assistant coach in football, basketball, and track. In 1964 he was promoted to head football coach; he held that position for five seasons. In 1969 Jerry returned to his hometown and coached the Cudahy Packers for 23 years. He had six more championships. His teams made six playoff appearances, twice reaching the semifinals and the finals once. He finished his coaching career at Cudahy with 17 consecutive winning seasons.

Jerry gives credit for most of his coaching philosophy to Sam Miller and Joe Kukor. Coaching philosophy: Be flexible; don't lock yourself into one set offense, and make it fun for players. He would like to acknowledge several outstanding coaches and close friends who were instrumental in his career: Fran Mitchell, Richard Nicalozzi, Bernie Schmidt, Carey Venne, Jeff Trickey and Clayton Lynde. Jerry would also like to recognize the Cudahy Football Booster Club and all the dedicated members--especially Paul Probst and Tom Paul -- for helping to develop a program the community could always be proud of. Jerry was president of the UW-Whitewater W Alumni Club for five years and a member of the steering committee, which organized the UW-Whitewater Hall of Fame. In 1985 he was one of two finalists for the head coaching position at UW - Whitewater.

For 33 years he taught English and reading and chaired the English department at Cudahy for 15 years. Jerry belongs to St. Sylvester parish; he is a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Cudahy Boys Club. He was an active member of the WFCA; he worked on the WFCA clinic committee and was a speaker at many state and national football clinics.

Tag(s): Hall of Fame