Tim Cowen
Nominated by Jim Brewer
Tim Cowen was born in Loudonville, Ohio to his parents Bob and Lavone Cowen.
He spent his childhood years living in the Perrysville area, attending Perrysville grade school, and graduating from Loudonville High School in 1976.
From an early age, sports were an important part of Tim's life. You could say it runs in the family. Tim's father, Bob Cowen, was a member of the 1951 undefeated Loudonville High School football team, which was inducted into the Ashland County Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. Gerald Cowen, Tim's uncle, lettered in three varsity sports at Loudonville High School as well as played on the Cleveland Indians farm team. Tim's cousins, Mitch Browning and Scottt Browning not only played high school football with Tim, but both went on to have successful collegiate football coaching careers.
Football was always Tim's first love. Fortunately for Tim, his love of football translated into success on and off the football field. In 1975, Tim was a senior running back on the first area football team ever to be rated number one in the Ohio High School Athletic Association computer poll. As a senior co-captain, with 2008 Hall of Fame Inductee Russ Reynolds, Tim doubled as a middle linebacker. The 1975 Loudonville High School football team compiled a 10-0 perfect season, winning the Johnny Appleseed Conference Championship, and finishing third in the final state UPI poll.
Tim achieved many personal milestones during that undefeated season.
He set the all time Ashland area single season scoring record with 20 touchdowns
and 126 points, a record previously held by Tim's former coach and
Ashland County Hall of Fame inductee Jack Augenstein. Tim's single game
scoring record of 32 points broke the 1951 record of 26 points set by the Hall
of Famer Jack Porter. A particular highlight for Tim was being named the
1975 Ashland Times-Gazette Player of the Year. In addition he was named
the Northwest District Back of the Year as well as being named to the AP All-
Ohio first team.
Tim credits his success in football to the many talented members of the
1975 Undefeated Loudonville Redbirds many of whom remain close friends
35 years later. The cohesiveness of the team that remains to this day is due
in part to the strict discipline and high expectations of Coach Mike Warbel.
Coach Warbel's enthusiasm, discipline and emphasis on team unity were instrumental
in molding a strong nucleus of players into a football powerhouse.
Tim's football experience at Loudonville prepared him well for the challenges
of college football at Baldwin Wallace College. Under legendary coach
Lee Tressel, Tim played on the 1978 NCAA Division III National Championship
team. Tim was a three-year letterman in football at BW. In 1979 he was
named to the all OAC Conference team as a running back.
Always a competitor, Tim turned to car racing later in life as a way to
remain active in the sports world. In1998, after participating in a weeklong
driving school in Phoenix, Tim began racing in regional races with the sports
Car Club of America (SCCA). In 2002, racing in front of the hometown crowd
at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Tim won the National Championship
in the GT1 class of SCCA. Since that time he has raced professionally
in the Trans Am series, the ARCA racing series, NASCAR East series and the
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Racing with professional driving champions
with names like Kyle Busch, Joey Lagano, Denny Hamlin, and Paul Newman
has been a highlight of Tim's racing career. Racing at well-known tracks
like Daytona, Charlotte, Sebring and Watkins Glen have been challenging and
thrilling for the Cowen Racing Team.
Tim continues his love of sports in his professional career as President
of Cowen Truck Line. Cowen Truck Line sponsors many youth sports teams
in the Loudonville/Perrysville area as well as being the major sponsor for the
Cowen Mohican Elite Women's Track Meet held annually at Loudonville High
School. Tim and his wife, Anne have been married for 27 years and make
their home in Ashland. They have one son, Bobby, who is a sophomore at St.
Peter High School in Mansfield, where he participates on the golf team and
the basketball team.
