Former Kansas player and assistant coach Clint Bowen returned to his alma mater on Jan. 11, 2012, joining Charlie Weis' staff as the special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach.

Bowen recently completed a one-year stint as defensive coordinator and safeties coach for North Texas in 2011, having joined the Mean Green after a spending the 2010 season at Western Kentucky, where he held the same position.

The Lawrence native and 1995 KU grad has returned to his roots as he has accumulated 12 years of coaching experience with the Jayhawks prior to joining the staff under Weis. He began his Kansas coaching career by working as a defensive graduate assistant coach for the Jayhawks in 1998 and 1999. He then served as assistant director of football operations during the 2000 season.

Bowen took over the role of special teams coordinator in 2001, a position he held at KU through the 2005 season. In addition to manning the special teams, Bowen also coached tight ends (2001), running backs (2002) and safeties (2003-05) during that time span.

In 2006 Bowen was promoted to co-defensive coordinator and continued coaching the Jayhawk safeties from 2003-09. Following the 2007 season he was elevated to defensive coordinator, helping guide the Jayhawks to a victory at the Insight Bowl in 2008.

During his previous stint on the KU coaching staff, the Jayhawks posted a 3-1 bowl record, including a 24-21 win over Virginia Tech in the 2008 Orange Bowl. Kansas finished the 2007 season with a 12-1 record and No. 7 national ranking in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today coaches polls.

Bowen had at least one of his players earn postseason All-Big 12 Conference recognition each year. The 2007 Kansas defense ranked fourth in the nation in scoring defense and ranked in the top 10 nationally in both passing defense and rushing defense.

Bowen was a hard-hitting defensive back for the Jayhawks in 1992-93 following one season at Butler County Community College. He led the KU defense in total tackles in 1993 with 114 total stops. That figure ranks as the third-most tackles by a Jayhawk defensive back in school history.

Bowen was instrumental in helping the Jayhawks to an 8-4 final record, a No. 22 national ranking and a win over Brigham Young in the 1992 Aloha Bowl. He was the recipient of the school's Willie Pless Tackler of the Year Award following his senior season in 1993.

He is the product of a football family. His father (Charley Bowen) was a two-time high school All-American at Lawrence High School and his older brother (Charley, Jr.) was a four-year letterwinner as a defensive back for the Jayhawks (1989-92).

Bowen and his wife Kristie have two sons, Baylor and Banks.