Dr. Morris L. Bowden
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Dr. Morris L. Bowden is a Professor of Sport Management at Fayetteville State University, where he prepares students for careers in the sport industry through academic instruction, mentorship, experiential learning, and professional development. With more than 20 years of experience across higher education, sport management, recreation, facility operations, and event delivery, he brings a distinctive combination of classroom expertise and hands-on industry leadership to his students.
Dr. Bowden’s professional experience includes supporting several of the world’s most prominent sporting events. In 2026, he served as a PMA/Referee Operations Supervisor for the FIFA World Cup in Seattle, supporting transportation mobility, operational readiness, workforce coordination, dispatch communication, stakeholder services, incident response, and the movement of referees and other tournament participants across hotels, training sites, venues, and operational locations.
He also served as an SP+ contractor for Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, and the Indianapolis 500, supporting transportation operations, bus dispatch, routing and communication, staging areas, workforce coordination, and venue and hotel movements. He contributed to transportation logistics, crowd flow, guest services, event mobility, operational readiness, and live-event execution.
His broader event-management background includes athletic event operations with the University of North Carolina, stadium operations and premium hospitality with the North Carolina Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League, and collegiate athletic event operations at Fayetteville State University. He has also held operations and facility-management positions at North Carolina State University, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, and municipal recreation organizations.
Dr. Bowden earned his doctorate in Global Sport Leadership from East Tennessee State University, a Master of Science in Athletic Administration from North Carolina Central University, and a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management from Florida A&M University. As an educator and HBCU advocate, he is committed to connecting classroom theory with practical industry experience and preparing knowledgeable, ethical, adaptable, and service-oriented sport management professionals.
His teaching and professional interests include international and domestic sport facility and event management, sport leadership, governance, marketing, ethics, finance, experiential learning, transportation operations, venue readiness, workforce leadership, and mega-event delivery.
Dr. Bowden’s professional philosophy is simple: bring the industry into the classroom and prepare students to lead when they enter it.
- Equity and access in sport management education at HBCUs
- Experiential learning in sport management education
- Digital inclusion in sport management pedagogy
- Risk management and operations in campus recreation
Aspiring to Climb the Administrative Ladder in Higher Education,” COSMA Annual Conference, 2024.
Student Engagement and the Digital Divide in HBCU Classrooms,” COSMA, Houston, 2021.
Bowden, M. L. (Presenter & Author), Perry, J. (Presenter & Author), Race & Equity, "Student Engagement and the Pandemic: Overcoming the Digital Divide and Student Hardship in Historically Black College and University Sport Management Classrooms," Commission on Sport Management Accreditation, Houston Texas. (February 11, 2021).
Bullard, D. L., Bowden, M. L., Bronco Wellness, "Workout for the Workplace," College Education. (April 25, 2019).
Bowden, M. L., Spring 2019 Excellence in Teaching Conference, "How to Track Your PhysicalActivity on The Job," Fayetteville State University/College of Education, Fayetteville State University. (March 23, 2019).
Bowden, M. L., Faculty Innovation in Teaching and Learning Grant, "FITL Proposal Evaluation," Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville State University. (February 11, 2019).
HEED 112: Health and Wellness
HEED 113:Health,Fitness & Wellness
PEDU 101: Swimming (Coed)
PEDU 107: Weight Training
PEDU 140: Conditioning Exercise
PEDU 350: Functional Anatomy
PEDU 361: Sport Officiating
PEDU 450: Physiology of Exer and Kinesio
PEDU 452: The Intramural Sports Prgm
PEDU 472: Sports in Contempo Amer Scty
SPTM 210: Ethics & Moral Reasoning in Sp
SPTM 211: Intro. to Sport Management
SPTM 301: Sport Governance and Policy
SPTM 330: Sport Facility & Event Mgmt.
SPTM 331: Economics and Finance of Sport
SPTM 340: Sport Marketing & Comm.
SPTM 350: Aquatics and Facility Management
SPTM 421: Mgmt & Leadership in Sport.Org
SPTM 450: Legal Aspect of Sport
SPTM 490: Sport Mgmt Internshp & Seminar
- Financial Director, Board of Directors, Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA)
- Board Member, North Carolina Sport Management Association
- Advisory Board, The Salvation Army of The Sandhills
- Student Organization Co-Advisor, FSU STRIDE Sport Management Club
- North Carolina Recreation and Park Association (August 2011-Present)
- National Intramural - Recreation Sports Association (NIRSA) (August 2010-Present)
- NC SHAPE (2019-Present)
- Certified Pool and Spa Operator (CPO)
- ACE Certified Personal Trainer
- Water Safety Instructor
- CPR/AED/First Aid Instructor
- Hybrid & Distance Education Certified
- Adobe Faculty Ambassador (2024)