The opening night of Hermantown’s 2025 football season will also mark a tribute to one of the program’s most influential figures.
On Aug. 29, before the Hawks’ home game against Duluth Denfeld (7 p.m. kickoff), Hermantown Community Schools and the football program will dedicate a new 50-foot flagpole at the football field in honor of longtime coach and administrator Gary Bowen. The project is a partnership with Centricity Credit Union and True North Flag and Flagpoles.
“Gary Bowen was more than a coach,” current Hawks head coach Mike Zagelmeyer said. “He was the patriarch of Hermantown football.”
Bowen led the program from 1972 to 1990, winning more than 100 games, multiple conference titles and finishing as state runner-up in 1981. He later served as Hermantown’s activities director from 1983 to 2006 and taught health and driver’s education for decades.
His impact, Zagelmeyer said, extends far beyond wins and titles. “He shaped generations of students, athletes and coaches,” he said.
Deeply patriotic, Bowen once hoped to obtain the large American flag that hung in the old middle school gym — a symbol, in his eyes, of pride, tradition and unity. That original flag is gone, but the new flag will fly high above the field he helped build.
The new pole will replace the aging one now at the field. Organizers said the ceremony will serve as “a lasting tribute to the legacy of a man who gave so much to our school and our town.”
Bowen is expected to attend the ceremony, and former Hermantown football players are encouraged to be there.
“Let’s pack the stands and show him just how much he means to this program and this community,” Zagelmeyer said.