Liberty Christian Legend Finally Makes Decision

Longtime head coach sticks with decision to retire, making way for assistant

By ADAM BOEDEKER

Updated 7:30 AM CST, Mon, May 11, 2009

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Three months after retiring from the only professional coaching job he'd ever had, Mark Bowles was already second-guessing his decision.

And third-guessing, and fourth-guessing.

In fact, the longtime Argyle Liberty Christian coach -- the only one the program had ever known -- needed three more months to finally decide he'd made the right decision after all.

After getting "pressured" -- in a good way -- by Liberty Christian supporters to return and coach in the stadium that bears his name, Bowles took all the time he possibly could to decide he wanted out for good so he could spend more time with his wife and family. After 26 seasons and three state championships, he'd finally had enough.

Replacing the legend, who literally started Liberty's football program from scratch -- no field, no pads, you name it, he didn't have it -- will be his offensive coordinator since 2003, Greg Price, a former UNT player and graduate assistant from the late 1990s.

Price steps right into a situation he's plenty comfortable with, being a part of Liberty's tight-knit coaching community for more than a decade, and the Warriors shouldn't really miss a beat after winning the state championship two seasons ago and bowing out in the state semifinal this past year.

Leaving is one of the nicest, most caring guys in the history of the business as far as I'm concerned. The Warriors really have something special from their family atmosphere in the program to their summer two-a-days at Camp Copass, a church-based camp on the shores of Lake Lewisville.

The big question about Bowles will be if, like Brett Favre, he'll get that itchy "whistle finger" come August and want to get back in the coaching game. One thing's for certain, as a vice principal at the school, he'll still be out on that practice field often and will still have his hands in the program, and Price wouldn't have it any other way.

Adam Boedeker is a sports writer/award-winning blogger for the Denton Record-Chronicle. He loves penny slots, especially when he "accidently" bets the maximum bet on a spin and just happens to win $70 on one spin.