Published Wednesday, Nov. 5, 1997
BACK TO HERALD...
Grove City College running back R.J. Bowers of West Middlesex bowls over a Thiel defender. Bowers has rushed for more than 1,000 yards for the Wolverines. (Gene Paulson/Herald)
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Ex-pro ballplayer Bowers runs wild at GCC
By Brad Isles
Herald Sports Writer
Grove City College running back R.J. Bowers hears the jibes from opposing players _ especially those who are familiar with his background.
``You can't run old man.''
Old man? At 23?
Twenty-three may be old for an ordinary college freshman, but Bowers is far from that. At 18 he was meeting the likes of baseball greats Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio.
After spending five years in the minor league baseball system, Bowers is a hardened veteran. Long bus rides from Grove City to, say, Wooster, Ohio, are a far cry from the 12-hour rides he had traveling from Madison, Wis. as a member of the Madison Black Wolves across the central United States.
Just how hardened has Bowers, a 1992 graduate of West Middlesex High School become? Well, the words thrown at him by defenders deflect off his 6-foot-1, 220-pound frame, as have the defenders themselves.
Bowers has had an outstanding freshman campaign, rushing for 1,078 yards in nine games. Throughout the year he has been atop the Presidents' Athletic Conference leaderboard in rushing, scoring, total offense, kick return yards and all-purpose yards.
In fact, he trails only senior teammate Doug Steiner in rushing as both eclipsed the 1,000-yard plateau. Steiner, has 1,260, breaking his school record of 1,073 which he set last year.
Steiner was to be the Wolverines' big-gun heading into the season. Along came Bowers, but there is no animosity between the two.
``We get along great,'' Bowers said. ``There's no animosity whatsoever. He's the middle man, I'm the outside guy. We complement each other so well.''
Their different running styles have led Grove City to a new first _ a PAC championship, which the Wolverines clinched Saturday with a 56-35 win over Alfred University. Since entering the league 14 years ago, the Wolverines placed second a couple of times, but never first.
``It's a great accomplishment for this team,'' Bowers said. ``Coming in as a freshman I'm just glad to be able to contribute to the team.''
Bowers admits he didn't expect his contributions to come this quickly, or as frequently as they have. After all, its much different hitting a fastball than getting hit by a charging linebacker.
``I figured it would take a little bit longer to get back into the swing of things,'' Bowers said. ``But it came back very fast, very natural. The offensive line does a great job. Running with Steiner, we complement each other well.''
And there is also the adjustment of hitting the books, especially at a school as academically stringent as Grove City. As a professional baseball player, one sets their own hours outside of practice and games. At Grove City, it's different.
``In the beginning it was really hard,'' Bowers said. ``The first week or two of school, it was overwhelming. Every teacher had something due by Monday and I was like `Oh my God, I'm never going to make it.' Now after I've learned to put my priorities straight it's not really bad at all. You've got to take advantage of the time you have and get your work done.''
Throughout the season, Bowers has gotten his work done on and off the field. On the field, the most telling stat is the 1,000 yards. It was a goal Bowers realized could be possible early in the season.
``The first goal I set was 1,000 yards,'' Bowers said. ``Actually, the main goal was to win. I just wanted to contribute, whether it be receiving, returning kicks, punts, rushing, whatever. I just wanted to make my contribution.
``I probably didn't make the goal of 1,000 yards until the second game. After I found out I could run in this league, no problem.''
As for baseball, Bowers said he misses it, but not as much as he probably should. Football has taken his mind off the game and the politics surrounding it.
``I'm having so much fun now. If I wasn't doing anything else I'd probably miss it a lot more. Playing football I'm having a great time. We're winning games.''
When he was playing for Kissimmee (Florida), an affiliate of the Houston Astros organization, Bowers aggravated an old wrist injury that eventually led to surgery. It happened during his third year of pro ball and detoured his best season to that point.
Known for his power, Bowers struggled to hit the long ball after the surgery. After a difficult training camp last season and a conflict with a new manager, Bowers went from full-time player to part-time. That started the long road back home and to the gridiron with a detour through the Independent League.
``I got to the point in Houston that I didn't feel I was moving where I should be,'' Bowers said. ``All I wanted at first was the change of a team, a different scenery, a different look. I didn't get what I wanted because (Houston) didn't give me my release. I finally kept begging for my release and I got that. I went to the Independent League and it was a joke. It was really laid back, so to speak.
``Every day that I was playing baseball I was wanting to play football. I was wondering `What if? What if?' Now I'm back playing football.
Bowers can ask himself the same question about making it to the big leagues had he stuck it out. But he knows one thing for certain, he's answering questions on the football field.
``I think I'm showing a lot of people the answers to those questions as well.''
