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Friday January 2, 1970
. . . where the 1970s live forever!

Carlen Is Hired by Texas Tech; Bowden Replaces Him At W.Va.



LUBBOCK, Tex. -- Jim Carlen, whose West Virginia football team lost only to Penn State in the season just ended, became head football coach of Texas Tech today. He replaces J. T. King, who was moved up to athletic director last Dec. 9 following a season of five victories and five defeats. "I was sure as soon as I was contacted that I wanted the job," Carlen said. He said several schools had approached him about jobs. "But until this came along, I was never interested in leaving," he said.

The announcement of Carlen's hiring came after a week of strong speculation that the former Georgia Tech linebacker would be named and would accept the Texas Tech post. Carlen said his first task would be to select a 10-man staff of assistants and he indicated that assistants at both West Virginia and Tech would be considered. Carlen took over at West Virginia in 1966 and had a 3-5-2 won-lost-tied record that season. The Mountaineers had a 1967 record 9f 5-4-1, and a 1968 mark of 7-3-0. In 1969, West Virginia lost only to Penn State, 20-0. The Mountaineers won the Peach Bowl, beating South Carolina, 14-3. The 36-year-old Carlen played under Bobby Dodd at Georgia Tech and joined the Bobby Bowden Engineers' coaching staff in 1960, remaining there until he went to the Mountaineers.


Morgantown, W. Va. -- Robert C. (Bobby) Bowden moved up to head coach at West Virginia today succeeding Jim Carlen. Bowden had been head offensive coach for the Mountaineers since February, 1966. Bowden, 40 years old, said his first undertaking would be to organize his staff and recruiting program. "We do not plan to change any phase of the present program. It is my plan for carrying on the successful program we've had the last four years," Bowden said.

Bowden joined West Virginia from Florida State, where he had served as offensive end coach for three years. He started his coaching career at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., where he was assistant football coach and head track coach. He left Samford in 1955 to become head football and baseball coach at South Georgia Junior College where his teams posted a 22-11 won-lost record in football. In 1959 he returned as head coach to Samford, where he had starred in football while earning a bachelor's degree. His teams won 31 games and lost six at Samford.

[source: ap]


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