JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman head football coach Ken Sparks has announced the promotion of Mike Clowney to associate head coach. 

"He's a quality person, All-American, Hall of Famer, all that wonderful stuff, but this is a man who is also like a son to me," Sparks said. "This gives me a person I trust to be another set of eyes to be a mouth piece with his exceptional counseling skills to work with players and coaches.

"His strengths match what we need in this program. It's getting harder to coach kids and he has a positive influence on kids. Mike Clowney is who we need to teach players that it's not about me.  For me personally, it will be wonderful to have Mike come along side me and work hand-in-hand in that regard.  I need someone young to help keep us flexible to help us communicate with and reach kids for the Lord."

Clowney finished his career at Carson-Newman as one of the best linebackers in school history.  He ranks sixth all time with 353 career stops and still holds the single-game tackle record.  He had 23 stops against Wingate in 1996.  He was inducted into the South Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame this summer. 

The performance against the Bulldogs was the culmination of a superb senior season for Clowney that was remarkable for the fact that he spent a quarter of it injured. He also had games of 15 (Edinboro), 19 (Mars Hill) and 21 (Presbyterian) tackles in his senior season.  Clowney owns five of the top 15 tackle games in Carson-Newman's annals.

"When you look at being associate head coach," Clowney said. "It's something that technically I've done since I've been here. This makes it official. This lets me be involved more in the administrative side of it and have more of an influence on the entire group rather than half the team."  

Clowney earned first-team All-America honors in 1996 from the AFCA, American Football Quarterly, the Associated Press, Don Hansen's Football Gazette and the NCAA during the 1996 season. He is one of six Eagles to earn consensus All-America honors for C-N, a distinction he shares with Andy Hibbett (2014), Kevin Day (2012), Reggie Perkins (2003), Michael Rigdon (2001), Clay Clevenger (2000), Cedric Killings (1999) and Steve Mellon (1995).

With 153 tackles, he was named the South Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and led Carson-Newman to its first NCAA Division II National Championship game appearance during the 1996 campaign.

After his playing days at Carson-Newman, Clowney spent three seasons as head football coach and athletic director at Emerald High School in Greenwood, S.C.  Clowney then went to Greenwood High School where he served as the defensive coordinator from 1999-2003.  Under his tutelage, Greenwood won back-to-back South Carolina State Championships during 1999 and 2000. 

Clowney returned to C-N and has spent the last five seasons as the program's defensive coordinator.  In his time with the defense he has seen 17 All-South Atlantic Conference performers, including 10 first team honorees. Clowney has coached three defensive All-Americans in Tim Robinson, Eric Rice and Jaycob Coleman – all linebackers.