Chris Bowers returned for his second stint with the Northwestern Football program prior to the 2011 season, overseeing many of NU's recruiting efforts as the program's Director of Player Personnel. Bowers previously spent four years in Evanston as a recruiting assistant and graduate assistant before moving on to build his college football resume at Defiance College, Concord University and Valparaiso.
Bowers began his first stint in Evanston as a recruiting assistant (2003-04) and assistant director of football operations (2004-05), during which time he worked closely with then-linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator Pat Fitzgerald. In 2005, Northwestern signed one of the most highly touted recruiting classes in program history, a group that featured seven players that went on to play at the professional level -- including Tyrell Sutton, Mike Kafka and Corey Wootton.
Most recently, Bowers directed the recruiting effort to build a roster that won 40 games over the last four seasons, the most during a four-year span in program history. The Wildcats claimed their first-ever Big Ten West Division title and a berth in the BIg Ten Championship in 2018.
From there, Bowers moved into a coaching role as NU's defensive graduate assistant for the 2005 and 2006 campaigns. He then accepted a position at Defiance College in Ohio where he was the defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator for two seasons. The Defiance College defense allowed just 20.4 points and 327 yards per game during Bowers' stint with the Yellow Jackets.
Bowers spent the 2009 and 2010 campaigns at Concord University, a Division II school in Athens, W. Va., serving as the secondary coach and recruiting coordinator in 2009 before being named defensive coordinator in 2010. He was part of a coaching staff that took over a program that finished 0-11 in 2008 before posting the first winning season in 11 years in 2009. In 2010, the Lions posted an 8-3 mark, the program's best record since 1991.
Concord boasted 7 All-Conference players on Bowers’ 2010 defense. The Mountain Lion Defense ranked 10th in the nation with 31 takeaways while leading the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in Pass Defense Efficiency, Red Zone Defense, and Pass Defense.
Since returning to Northwestern, Bowers has helped the Wildcats assemble two of the most highly rated recruiting classes in program history, including a 15-member class in 2014 that ranked No. 1 in NU history.
Off the field, Bowers recently was published in the Manual of Football Drills and Skills, a resource for coaches at all levels which benefits Lauren's First and Goal Foundation. The organization was established in 2004 by John and Marianne Loose in honor of their daughter Lauren, a pediatric brain tumor survivor, and has raised more than $1 million in financial support for brain tumor research and cancer services.
Bowers earned a B.A. in history from Wittenberg University in 1999 and his master's degree from the University of Findlay, where he began his coaching career as a Graduate Assistant for the 2001 and 2002 seasons.
Bowers, a native of Lima, Ohio, and his wife, Christina, have a daughter, Davalyn, and a son, Joe.