| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1947-05-02)May 2, 1947 (age 77) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1973–1976 | Livingston (OC) |
| 1977–1978 | Livingston |
| 1979–1980 | North Alabama (OC) |
| 1981 | Wyoming (OC) |
| 1982–1985 | Auburn (OC) |
| 1986–1988 | Clemson (OC) |
| 1989 | Arkansas (OC) |
| 1990–1992 | Arkansas |
| 1993–1995 | Baylor (OC) |
| 2000–2012 | Jacksonville State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 101–87 |
| Bowls | 0–1 |
| Tournaments | 0–3 (NCAA D-I-AA playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2OVC (2003–2004) | |
| Awards | |
| OVC Coach of the Year (2004) | |
Jack Crowe (born May 2, 1947) is an American formercollege football coach. He played quarterback at West End High School in Birmingham, Alabama. He was most recently the head coach atJacksonville State University inAlabama, a position he held from 2000 to 2012. Crowe served as the head football coach at theUniversity of Arkansas from 1990 to1992 season. Crowe was also the head coach at Livingston University, now known as theUniversity of West Alabama, from 1977 to 1978. He served as offensive coordinator for head coachPat Dye at bothWyoming andAuburn. In addition, Crowe has served as an assistant coach at theUniversity of North Alabama,Clemson University, andBaylor University. He is married to Leann Crowe.
Crowe first came to Arkansas in 1989 as offensive coordinator underKen Hatfield. When Hatfield left to become head coach at Clemson a month after the season ended, athletic directorFrank Broyles was in a desperate situation. Not only was there nowhere near enough time to find a big-name replacement, butNational Signing Day was just three weeks away. Broyles persuaded Crowe to drop his initial plans to follow Hatfield to Clemson and take over as head coach of the Razorbacks. By the start of the season, the Razorbacks had seenBarry Foster give up his senior season to enter the1990 NFL draft and had lost numerous other players to disciplinary and academic problems. Under the circumstances, the Razorbacks struggled to a 3-8 record. They barely qualified for a bowl in 1991.[1]
The Razorbacks opened the 1992 season—their first in theSoutheastern Conference—with an upset loss to aDivision I-AA team,The Citadel. The next day, Broyles announced that Crowe had resigned and that defensive coordinatorJoe Kines would coach the Razorbacks for the rest of the season.[2] However, Crowe's lawyer subsequently toldSports Illustrated that Crowe had been fired, and Broyles admitted that he'd fired Crowe due to concern that the fans no longer had confidence in him.[1] He finished 9-15 in two seasons and one game in Fayetteville.
At Jacksonville State, Crowe won two official conference titles. He would have won a third in 2009. However, JSU was ineligible for the conference title and postseason play after being placed onAcademic Progress Rate probation because of the team's poor academic performance. He also coachedAshley Martin, the first woman to play and score in anNCAA football game and the second woman to play and score in a college game in any division.[3]
Crowe's2010 Jacksonville State team pulled a major upset to start the season, beatingHouston Nutt'sOle Miss Rebels atVaught–Hemingway Stadium, 49–48 in double overtime. Nutt was an assistant under Crowe when Crowe was fired from Arkansas. On November 30, 2012, Crowe was fired by Jacksonville State.[4]