Coach Bud Rowley has been a part of the Oxford football program for more than 40 years, but his resume doesn't end there. Rowley is passionate about the Oxford community. He lives there and though he is retired, puts in long hours at the school, going over tape early in the morning, helping during lunch hours and staying after school to make sure every student is where he or she needs to be.
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Athletic Director, Jordan Ackerman, has worked alongside Rowley for a year and a half. When Ackerman found out that Rowley won our 4Frenzy "Favorite Football Coach" award, he said "it puts in concrete what we already know about him. He certainly cares for kids and that is his number one priority. He is all about producing solid young men by instilling discipline, character, hard work, and accountability."
Many of the players who have been coached by Rowley come back years later and owe a lot of their success in life to his coaching. He prepares them for not only the football field, but also for the real world once their high school career is over.
Senior team members, Thomas Wandrie, Joey Miller, and Austin Schlicht spoke very highly of Rowley. All three of them recognized Rowley as a passionate and dedicated coach.
Wandrie has been coached by Rowley for two years and looks up to him as a father figure. "He has taught me a lot about being a man off the football field. I will appreciate what he has done for me for a long time," he said.
Rowley has coached Schlicht for over four years. Schlicht describes Rowley as "very energetic, hardworking and cares about everyone." "He has built me into the person I am today. He taught me morals and hard work. Rowley has helped me with a lot through high school and I am grateful for that," he said.
Rowley credits his success to his players, his coaching staff and the community. Oxford is his home, and Rowley will leave behind a legacy that no one in that football program or community will forget.