James Philip Bower was an American baseball, football and ice hockey player and ice hockey coach. He led his alma mater Dartmouth through a difficult period at the beginning of the Great Depression.[1]
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 22, 1894 Richmond, Virginia, USA |
| Died | July 12, 1975 (aged 80) Middlebury, Vermont, USA |
| Alma mater | Middlebury College Dartmouth College |
| Playing career | |
| 1918–1920 | Dartmouth football |
| 1918–1921 | Dartmouth ice hockey |
| 1919–1920 | Dartmouth baseball |
| Position(s) | Quarterback/Defenseman |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1924–1926 | Williams |
| 1926–1933 | Dartmouth |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 58–50–6 (.535) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Records | |
| Military career | |
| Buried | Mount Pleasant Cemetery |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1917–1918 |
Career
editOriginally from Virginia, Bower attended Worcester Academy for his secondary education where he was a letterman in baseball, football and ice hockey.[2] He later attended Middlebury College but suspended his studies after two years to enlist in the Army during World War I. After the war, Bower returned to college but this time did so at Dartmouth College. During his time in Hanover, Bower was a multi-sport star for the Greens, serving as the quarterback for the football team and a defenseman on the ice hockey team.
After graduating from Dartmouth in 1921,[3] Bower remained an active player on the ice in and around the Boston area. In 1924, he was hired as the third head coach for Williams and guided the team for two seasons. After a stellar sophomore campaign that saw the Ephs finish 12–5–1, Bower returned to his alma mater as the head coach for the Dartmouth hockey team. In his first year behind the Indians' bench he nearly led the program to its first championship, finishing in second only to Harvard. In 1929, he was also hired as an assistant professor by the university. A few solid but underwhelming seasons followed before the great depression hit and severely impacted the team. In the early 30's, Dartmouth was a shell of its former self and posted losing seasons every year. After going winless against Harvard and Yale for four consecutive seasons, Bower resigned from his post in 1933.[4]
Bower died in 1975 at the age of 80.
Head coaching record
edit| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williams Ephs Independent (1924–1926) | |||||||||
| 1924–25 | Williams | 4–4–0 | |||||||
| 1925–26 | Williams | 12–5–1 | |||||||
| Williams: | 16–9–1 | ||||||||
| Dartmouth Indians Independent (1926–1933) | |||||||||
| 1926–27 | Dartmouth | 11–2–2 | |||||||
| 1927–28 | Dartmouth | 6–4–0 | |||||||
| 1928–29 | Dartmouth | 9–5–3 | |||||||
| 1929–30 | Dartmouth | 5–8–0 | |||||||
| 1930–31 | Dartmouth | 5–8–0 | |||||||
| 1931–32 | Dartmouth | 4–6–0 | |||||||
| 1932–33 | Dartmouth | 2–8–0 | |||||||
| Dartmouth: | 42–41–5 | ||||||||
| Total: | 58–50–6 | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Dartmouth Men's Hockey Team History". USCHO. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
- ^ "J. P. Bower is Selected to Coach Hockey Team". The Williams Record. December 13, 1924. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
- ^ "Dartmouth 2009–10 Men's Hockey Media Guide" (PDF). Dartmouth Big Green. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 4, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
- ^ "BOWER RESIGNS AS COACH.; Dartmouth Hockey Mentor Not to Return Next Year". The New York Times. March 11, 1933. Retrieved June 28, 2023.