After leading the Bowie State Bulldogs to the best season in the history of their football program, head coach Damon Wilson has been named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II National Coach of the Year.
This past season, Bowie State finished with the regular season with a 9-1 overall record including a perfect 9-0 record against Division II opposition and a 7-0 record against conference opponents.
Bowie extended its win streak against CIAA teams to 21 games (including two conference championship games and a non-conference game against Shaw) with their last loss coming in October 2018.
They won their third straight CIAA championship once again defeating the Fayetteville State Broncos 17-7.
Also read: Damon Wilson named Division II Region 2 Coach of the Year
The Bulldogs then moved on to the Division II playoffs as the second seed in Region 2 opening with a 31-10 over Lenoir-Rhyne in the first round on their home field. This was their second playoff win in school history allowing them to host two playoff games for the first time ever.
In its second-round matchup, Bowie State escaped with a 13-10 win against Newberry advancing to the Regional Final for the first time ever. The Bulldogs were unfortunately upended by Valdosta State in the next round ending their magical season.
This past season was coach Damon Wilson’s 11th with the team leading the team to winning seasons in 10 of them and a winning conference record in nine.
He and the Bulldogs have not lost consecutive games in any capacity since 2015 and have not done so in the regular season since 2014.
Since 2015, Wilson has led the Bulldogs to the CIAA championship game in all but one season and has appeared in the Division II playoffs in all but one year.
Wilson has played a huge role in building a dynasty at Bowie State with a team that is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.
With all the young talent being recruited to his program and a coaching staff that tolerates nothing but greatness, it could be only a matter of time before they are competing for a Division II championship.