The Cambridge City Golden Eagle football program has made a change at the top, naming Chad Bowman as its head coach for the 2026 season.
Phil Renforth, the longest-tenured coach in Lincoln football history, served as the head coach for the Eagles for 20 seasons from 2002 to 2021. When Renforth stepped down after the 2021 season, he described the difficulty of attracting enough roster players to be consistently competitive as the No.1 problem for the program. Renforth added that he hoped his replacement would be able to generate more interest.
In the four years since Renforth retired, there has been little change in potential players’ interest level.
Dan Capps coached during the 2022 season, compiling a record of 1-7. The Eagles were forced to cancel two conference games that season because they did not have enough healthy players to play. In 2023, Capps was able to play a complete schedule, compiling a record of 0-10 before resigning.
Jeremy Bane, a coach with extensive previous experience as an assistant coach in several programs, including serving as an offensive coordinator for two years under Capps, accepted the challenge to build the numbers and consequently the program. Bane played a complete schedule, compiling a record of 1-9 in 2024 and 0-10 in 2025 before submitting his resignation.
Bowman played for coach Renforth in high school and later served on his coaching staff, beginning as the middle-school coach before stepping away for a few years after the birth of his daughter. Bowman returned to serve as an assistant under Bane for the last two years, so he knows the kids, the kids know him and he is well known in the community.
Perhaps just as importantly, Bowman has donated his time to coach young kids in the flag football program at the Golay Center. He patiently teaches fundamentals, develops a rapport and helps kids develop a love for the sport.
As members of the Tri-Eastern Conference 1A, Lincoln has been forced to schedule Centerville and Northeastern to meet conference commitments in mismatched games.
Since Centerville and Northeastern have left the TEC, the Eagles can take steps to rightsize their schedule, scheduling teams they better match up with enrollment-wise. The Eagles will replace Centerville with a home game against the Indianapolis Crimson Knights and will replace Northeastern with a road game at Christel House.
It remains likely that a key to current and future success for Lincoln football will be Bowman’s ability to build the Eagle roster numbers. The first thing Bowman did after accepting the position was to schedule what he called a parent, athlete and community meeting on Wednesday, May 27. The stated purpose was to discuss program changes, provide 2026 season information and answer questions. The meeting was well received and well attended.
Official practice will not begin until Monday, Aug. 3, so it is premature to project the number of players who will go out for the team, but if participation in the summer weight program and permitted IHSAA summer workouts are an indicator, it seems logical that the roster numbers will increase.
A version of this article appeared in the July 29 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
