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Matt Bowen (football player)
Encyclopedia
Matthew Sean Bowen is a former American football
strong safety in the National Football League
. He currently works as a sports journalist.
at Glenbard West High School
in Glen Ellyn
, Illinois
. He was originally recruited to Iowa
as a quarterback after finishing his senior season as team captain
and MVP after passing for 1,533 yards and 17 touchdowns, and gaining 1,329 yards and 17 scores on the ground. He also played three seasons of baseball
and four seasons of basketball
. His mentor was Hasani Steele, who played in the Rose Bowl with Northwestern University.
, he started his final two seasons and earned second-team All-America
recognition and first-team All-Big Ten
honors. He posted a career-high 109 tackles (76 solo) and two INT
s as a senior and led the team with 92 tackles
(57 solo) and two interceptions as a junior.
’ Rookie of the Year award after starting at strong safety in two contests and appearing in 16 regular season games. He also saw action in the Ram's Wild Card
playoff
at New Orleans
. He finished the season with 21 tackles (15 solo) and two passes broken up. He also recorded 21 special teams tackles to tie for the club lead.
to provide depth and help to the Packers secondary
and special teams. He started the 2001 campaign with St. Louis, but suffered a broken right foot in the season opener and was inactive for the following two games. He was placed on injured reserve
on October 3 and was eventually waived on November 6. He played in Green Bay’s last five games on defense and special teams, recording four special teams tackles.
in the regular-season finale. He made his first-career postseason start against Atlanta
in the NFC
Wild Card playoff contest, responding to the challenge with a game- and career-high 15 tackles and two passes defensed. He finished the season with a career-high 42 tackles (27 solo), good for second among reserves. Bowen also added a forced fumble
, one interception and seven passes defended.
from the Green Bay Packers in March 2003. For the first time in his NFL career, Bowen started all 16 games in a season. He finished his campaign with 94 tackles (73 solo), three interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
on his right knee on a special teams play. He was placed on injured reserve on October 11.
released him as an unrestricted free-agent, upon which on March 16, 2006, he signed a two-year, $2 million contract with the Buffalo Bills
, which included a $300,000 signing bonus
. He appeared in five games for the Bills and was subsequently released on March 1, 2007.
website. Starting in 2011, he is also a contributor on the Boers and Bernstein
show.
He is also pursuing a masters degree in journalism from DePaul University
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
strong safety in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He currently works as a sports journalist.
High school career
Bowen was an all-state, all-area and all-conference selection as a quarterbackQuarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
at Glenbard West High School
Glenbard West High School
Glenbard West High School, or GWHS , and locally referred to as "West," is a public four-year high school located at the corner of Ellyn Avenue and Crescent Boulevard in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Glenbard Township High School...
in Glen Ellyn
Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Glen Ellyn is an affluent village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the village population was 26,999.-Geography:...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. He was originally recruited to Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
as a quarterback after finishing his senior season as team captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
and MVP after passing for 1,533 yards and 17 touchdowns, and gaining 1,329 yards and 17 scores on the ground. He also played three seasons of baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and four seasons of basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. His mentor was Hasani Steele, who played in the Rose Bowl with Northwestern University.
College career
Bowen was a four-year letterwinner (1996–99) at IowaUniversity of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
, he started his final two seasons and earned second-team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
recognition and first-team All-Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
honors. He posted a career-high 109 tackles (76 solo) and two INT
Interception (football)
An interception, intercept or pick is a move in many forms of football, including Canadian and American football, as well as rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football and Gaelic football, which involves a pass, either by foot or hand, being caught by an opposition player, who usually...
s as a senior and led the team with 92 tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
(57 solo) and two interceptions as a junior.
Pre-draft
2000
Matt Bowen was drafted in the sixth round by the St. Louis Rams. He earned St. LouisSt. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
’ Rookie of the Year award after starting at strong safety in two contests and appearing in 16 regular season games. He also saw action in the Ram's Wild Card
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
playoff
Playoff
The playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a game or series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, usually but not always with a single-elimination system, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade.In the U.S...
at New Orleans
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
. He finished the season with 21 tackles (15 solo) and two passes broken up. He also recorded 21 special teams tackles to tie for the club lead.
2001
Bowen signed with the Green Bay PackersGreen Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
to provide depth and help to the Packers secondary
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
and special teams. He started the 2001 campaign with St. Louis, but suffered a broken right foot in the season opener and was inactive for the following two games. He was placed on injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
on October 3 and was eventually waived on November 6. He played in Green Bay’s last five games on defense and special teams, recording four special teams tackles.
2002
Playing for the Green Bay Packers, Bowen appeared in all 16 games, starting six, contributing as a backup safety, a valued special teams contributor as well as a weekly participant in the club’s dime package defense. He was named the starter at strong safety during Weeks 4–7 when Antuan Edwards was sidelined with a fractured forearm. He also started at free safety for Darren SharperDarren Sharper
Darren Mallory Sharper is an American football safety who currently is a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at William & Mary....
in the regular-season finale. He made his first-career postseason start against Atlanta
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the NFC
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...
Wild Card playoff contest, responding to the challenge with a game- and career-high 15 tackles and two passes defensed. He finished the season with a career-high 42 tackles (27 solo), good for second among reserves. Bowen also added a forced fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...
, one interception and seven passes defended.
2003
Signed with the Washington Redskins as a restricted free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
from the Green Bay Packers in March 2003. For the first time in his NFL career, Bowen started all 16 games in a season. He finished his campaign with 94 tackles (73 solo), three interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
2004
Bowen started the first five games at strong safety for the Redskins before suffering a torn ACLAnterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
on his right knee on a special teams play. He was placed on injured reserve on October 11.
2006
On March 10, 2006, the Washington RedskinsWashington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
released him as an unrestricted free-agent, upon which on March 16, 2006, he signed a two-year, $2 million contract with the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, which included a $300,000 signing bonus
Signing bonus
A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive to the employee, e.g., if the annual salary is lower than he or she desires...
. He appeared in five games for the Bills and was subsequently released on March 1, 2007.
After playing career
Bowen currently works as a sports journalist for the National Football Post website, where he provides a player's perspective on the inner workings of the league. In addition, he is a weekly contributor to the Chicago TribuneChicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
website. Starting in 2011, he is also a contributor on the Boers and Bernstein
Boers and Bernstein
Boers and Bernstein is an afternoon drive-time sports talk show on Chicago's WSCR hosted by former columnist Terry Boers and Dan Bernstein. The program airs weekday afternoons from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. On days when the Chicago White Sox have a 7:10 start time, the program will often be extended half...
show.
He is also pursuing a masters degree in journalism from DePaul University
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
.