Phillip Wayne "Bear" Underwood (October 16, 1931 – February 4, 2013), known as P. W. Underwood, was an American

gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...

player and coach. He was the head coach of the

Southern Miss Golden Eagles The Southern Miss Golden Eagles and Lady Eagles (also known as Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles and Lady Eagles) are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), located in Hattiesburg, Miss ...

from 1969 to 1974. A native of

Cordova, Alabama Cordova is a city in Walker County, Alabama, United States. It was formerly a textile mill town. It was incorporated in 1897. At the 2010 census the population was 2,095, down from 2,423 in 2000. History Cordova was originally a settlement on the ...

, Underwood joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

upon graduating from high school, serving several years with the military police. He began his playing career at Southern Miss in 1954, and played three seasons for the Golden Eagles.http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/smis/genrel/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/pw-bear-underwood.pdf He then had a brief professional career with the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

, before turning to coaching. After a short stint as an assistant for the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity college athletics, intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in NCAA Division I, ...

he returned to become head coach at Southern Miss in 1969. During his six seasons he posted a 31–32–2 record and engineered one of the biggest wins in school history, a 30-14 win over fourth ranked Ole Miss in 1970. Underwood was selected by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

in the 28th round, 330th overall, in the

1954 NFL Draft The 1954 National Football League Draft was held on January 28, 1954, at The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia. This was the eighth year that the first overall pick was a bonus pick determined by lottery. With the previous seven winners i ...

, even before playing at Southern Miss. He died on February 4, 2013.

Head coaching record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Underwood, P. W. 1931 births 2013 deaths Players of Canadian football from Alabama Auburn Tigers football coaches Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Southern Miss Golden Eagles football coaches Southern Miss Golden Eagles football players Tennessee Volunteers football coaches People from Cordova, Alabama Players of American football from Alabama