With the high school football season fast approaching, I decided to take a trip down memory lane, track down a few former Bowie coaches, and see what they are up to.
Brad Keck arrived in Bowie July of 1999 after previous coaching stops in Springtown, Paradise and Nocona. Keck said he was familiar with Mark White, the Jackrabbits head coach at the time, which is how he ended up in town. Keck served as defensive coordinator under Mike Chaney until 2003, when he took over as head coach and athletic director.
“My expectations were the same then as they are now,” Keck said. “I expected to have a good turnout of hard working kids.”
Keck said the 2004 season was a very special year for him, as the Rabbits made the playoffs for the first time since the early 1980s. He also said the 2008 squad was “a great team to coach.” Bowie made the playoffs that season as well. Before the success however, Keck said one of his more memorable games was on the road against Sanger in 2003. The win was the team’s only one that season.
“A lot of those players were young, so we got them back the following year and had a real good program,” Keck said.
After he left Bowie in April of 2009, Keck returned to Nocona, his alma mater, to take the head coach/athletic director position. The coach said the offense he runs currently with the Indians originated from the offense he ran with the Rabbits in 2007 and 2008, with a few minor changes.
“Bowie was a good place for me,” Keck said. “I coached a lot of good kids. It was an enjoyable time for me and my family.” Read the complete column in the mid-week edition of The Bowie News.

Bowie News sports columnist Blake Wood. (Photo by Ryan Evans)