Gowan moved to the new Chiles High School in Tallahassee when it opened in 1999 and was head coach for 17 years for the boys and girls cross country and track & field teams. While at Chiles his teams won a combined 11 state team titles in boys cross country; girls cross country; boys track & field, as well as nine state runner-up, 19 regional and 44 district titles. Gowan started his coaching career at Port St. Joe High School in 1986 where he was head coach for boys track & field (13 years), boys cross country (11 years), middle school boys basketball (9 years) and assistant varsity football (4 years). While at Port St. Joe, Gowan’s boys track & field teams won six straight state championship titles; two regional and eight district titles; one boys state cross country title; state runner-up titles in football and boys cross country; and a boys district cross country title. Gowan is a 1980 graduate of Liberty County High School in Bristol, Florida where he was a four year member of the Bulldogs football, basketball and track and field teams. During his senior year he was named to the All-Apalachicola Valley Conference in each respective sport and was a member of the state champion mile relay team and earned all-state honors in the 880 yard run. Gowan attended Chipola Jr. College in Marianna, Florida (’82) and Florida State University (’85). At FSU, Gowan received a bachelor’s degree in physical education and a minor in math and science and was a walk-on member of the football team as a wide receiver in 1983. For his career, Gowan’s teams won a combined 102 FHSAA team championships which included 18 state titles, 10 state runner-up titles, 21 regional titles, and 53 district titles. Five of his cross country teams at Chiles were nationally ranked and more than 50 of his athletes were individual state champions; eight of his cross country and track & field athletes were named Florida Dairy Farmers athlete of the year; five of his athletes were named High School All-Americans; two of his athletes set state track & field records; and more than 100 of his athletes earned an athletic scholarship to compete in college. Gowan also served on the FHSAA state cross country and track & field advisory boards; jury of appeals official for the FHSAA state cross country and track & field meets; host and meet director for more than 20 years for FHSAA district and regional cross country and track & field meets. Gowan is one of only a few Florida high school cross country and track & field coaches that has won a FHSAA state team title in two sports, cross country and track & field, at two different schools. Gowan is recognized for his 35 year career coaching high school and middle school athletics and is a member of the Florida Athletic Coaches Association (FACA) Hall of Fame, the Florida Track & Field Hall of Fame, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Hall of Fame, as well as the more than 45 Coach of the Year Awards which include the National Federation High School (NFHS) National Boys Track & Field Coach of the Year Finalist (1995, 1998, 2012); Florida Dairy Farmers Coach of the Year (17 awards); Tallahassee Democrat Coach of the Year (25 awards) and Florida Track & Field Coach of the Year. Gowan also served as head coach for the 2003 FACA Cross Country North Boys All-Star Team. A longtime member of the Florida Athletic Coaches Association (FACA), Gowan received the 30 year distinguished service award in 2016.
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