John Bowman: Defensive Line Coach

The 41-year-old Bowman enters his third season as defensive line coach after an outstanding 14-year career with the Montreal Alouettes where he established himself as one of the league’s most feared rush ends.

The 2023 season saw Mathieu Betts break the single-season Canadian sack record (18) and win CFL Most Outstanding Defensive Player. In addition, Lion opponents averaged 99.3 rushing yards per game, fourth-lowest total across the CFL.

2022 saw a big improvement on the defensive line as David Menard (9), Mathieu Betts (7) and Obum Gwacham (5) all racked up career-highs in sacks while the unit limited CFL-rushing leader Kadeem Carey to 43 yards in the Western Semi-Final victory.

A Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductee, two-time CFL All-Star and nine-time East Division All-Star selection, Bowman is the Alouettes’ all-time leader with 134 sacks and sits sixth all-time in that category amongst CFL defenders. He also helped the Alouettes win back-to-back Grey Cups in 2009 and 2010.

Prior to migrating north in 2006, Bowman played for the Daytona Beach Hawgs of the National Indoor Football League and also had a stint with the Sioux City Bandits of United Indoor Football.

Bowman attended Wingate University where he was an All-American and All-SAC defensive lineman.