[4] Though he was originally only hired to be a physical education professor, USF president John Allen asked Bowers to become the university's first-ever athletic director in 1964.

[1] During his tenure as athletic director which lasted until 1982, Bowers helped to establish the Sun Belt Conference, USF added 13 intercollegiate sports programs and built several facilities including the USF Sun Dome, Red McEwen Field, and a university golf course.

[5] From 1983 to 1992, Bowers was a director at the USF College of Business Administration, and he served as an associate dean and professor for the program from 1992 until 2003.

[1][3][4][6] He also served as Director of Development at Tampa's Museum of Science & Industry, as well as in leadership roles for numerous local charities.

He was posthumously inducted into the inaugural class of the University of South Florida Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.