Bowman overcomes career-threatening neck injury to lead Bison secondary

In the blink of an eye, Richard Bowman's career – and nearly his life – took a dramatic turn after a collision during the 2007 season opener against Stephen F. Austin left him lying motionless on the Fargodome turf. While chasing a tackle, a teammate knocked into Bowman, causing his head to slam into the ground before ricocheting back up. Bowman's entire body went numb. "Some of the guys were around me, but I couldn't reach out my hand or do anything," said Bowman, a three-year starter for the Bison. Two years after a hit that nearly paralyzed him, the Bison senior has fully recovered and leads a young Bison secondary into its second season of play in the Missouri Valley Conference. Those two years left an indelible impression on Bowman, not to mention titanium plates in his spine. The most important lesson: Not to take anything - especially playing football - for granted.

It wasn't the initial hit and immobility that scared Bowman. He'd been there before during his sophomore year at Houston's North Shore High School. "When I was hit, I already knew what happened so that didn't scare me," said Bowman of the impact. That hit in high school left him sidelined for a week and wearing special shoulder pads. The scary news came when he was at the hospital, lying on his back in an MRI machine. "What scared me was when they did the CAT scan and MRI," Bowman said. "The doc told me plain and simple that if I didn't have surgery on my spine, I wouldn't play football again."

Not so plain and simple
The news may have been plain and simple, but its repercussions were filled with as much complexity as any question a college football player could face. "I thought there was no way I'd let anyone do surgery on my spine. I thought I was done," explained Bowman of his first thoughts on whether to have the surgery that would allow him to play football again. Any surgery has its risk, particularly an operation on something as important for bodily function as the spine. The list of complications associated with the surgery reads like a worse-case scenario of medical horrors, though the risk of the complications happening is minimal - less than 1-2 percent according to medical experts. "I had to pray a lot and get support from everybody," said Bowman of his decision to have the operation. "(The surgery) turned out well, but when the doc told me what happened, I thought football was over for me."

It wasn't just football that was almost over for Bowman, according to his doctor. "He told me I was blessed that I wasn't paralyzed," Bowman explained, of how he received an affirmation of his faith. Not only was Bowman able to walk away from his injury, but he was able to also march back out onto that same Fargodome turf and strap on the pads for the Bison. "It almost ended my career. That was a big thing I had to struggle with," said Bowman. "It made me realize that you can't take anything for granted because it can be taken from you in a snap. I thank God for giving me another season to come back and play football again.

Leading by example
It borders on the cliché in college athletics to say someone is a leader both on and off the field. Perhaps more so because North Dakota State tends to produce these types of athletes so often. But how many of these athletes have laid motionless on the Fargodome turf and faced a decision on whether to undergo a surgery with such potential life-altering implications as spinal surgery? Bowman has used both this triumph over adversity and his faith in a leadership role for the Bison. "It is very important as an athlete. I represent the university athletic program and it is very important for me to be watchful of the things I do and make good decisions," said Bowman. Bowman has channeled this philosophy to the younger players in the Bison secondary.

"It is very important for us to have someone like Richard. He's been here a long time and helps us younger guys learn the defense," said sophomore free safety Daniel Eaves. "On the field he is pretty focused. Off the field he's vocal; he's a good guy." His teammates aren't the only ones taking notice. For his efforts, Bowman was nominated for the 2009 Allstate/AFCA Good Works Team, the 2008 FedEx/Orange Bowl Courage Award, and attended the 2007 NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Development Conference. "It goes back to working with community. If the community needs help with anything, as a Bison football player we should be ready to help out because the community supports us so well," elaborated Bowman on the importance of supporting a community that has supported his team. "It goes back to being a good leader."

Bowman's route to Fargo was paved by former Bison receivers coach Reggie Moore. Moore, now in the same position with the UCLA Bruins, convinced Bowman to visit North Dakota State. "I can honestly say I never heard of Fargo and didn't know where North Dakota was on the map. I knew it was up north somewhere," laughed Bowman. Not knowing what to expect, Bowman walked away convinced. "It was amazing. I'm up here and am real thankful for that. I came on a visit and everyone was very open and took me in like I was already a team member."

An ability to lead and an infectious personality make Bowman a trusted figure among his teammates. "We can say anything to one another. He can give me advice on the field or off the field, and it goes both ways if I need to say something to him," said Eaves, who much like Bowman, finds himself seeing plenty of game action as a young player. "It helps having that bond off the field for the play on the field." This ability to teach is something Bowman may carry into a coaching career after his playing days. "Right now I'm leaning toward being a graduate assistant. I have my degree in sports management and did an internship with marketing for the athletic department. Maybe I can find something with sports marketing, but I really don't want to sleep on being a (graduate assistant)," said Bowman of his post football plans.

Man of faith
One of Bowman's most impressive characteristics is his faith and commitment to serving others. While spring break at college is a notorious time for students to travel southeast for popular destinations like Florida, Bowman traveled to the extreme southeast for his spring break – as in Southeast Asia. Last March, Bowman traveled to Beijing, China, through an interdenominational student run organization at NDSU. "It was a real good experience. We met different people and shared a lot of things to get an idea of how they view life," explained Bowman. "They were very open to what we were talking about and feeling, whether it was religious or political."

With a population nearing 20 million and a per capita income of only $9,082, Beijing is a sprawling urban hub of China's economic explosion. But it wasn't the bright lights and skyline that stuck with Bowman. "It is so different there. It really made me open my eyes to be thankful for everything we have here in America," said Bowman. This experience echoes the key lesson he learned from his spinal surgery and recovery of not taking anything for granted. "We have everything we need on hand and take that for granted. Over there, they don't have that. It made me open my eyes to see how hard they work and how much they want to be successful," said Bowman of his trip. "It was really hard for them. All of them were just trying to make a dollar to feed their families."

The trip and his leadership befit a man whose favorite book is the Bible and whose favorite book within is Proverbs. Proverbs was only a natural selection for a young man dedicated to service and forced to overcome so much adversity at an early age. "My favorite book is Proverbs because it teaches a man about wisdom, and I think wisdom is an important thing to have in life," explained Bowman. "Especially when it comes to making decisions on or off the field, in your spiritual life, classroom life and personal life."

That wisdom manifested itself throughout a playing career at NDSU – a career filled with more than injuries and adversity. "There is nothing better than being around the guys you've been playing with, sweating with, bleeding with; it's just awesome to cheer each other on and pick each other up," concluded Bowman. "After a victory when we come to the locker room and sing our song, (there's) such a unity deal and such a bond. Off the field – how well we work together helping the community, like sandbagging, for example. We came together as if we were on the field and it helped the community. It is our bond together." It's a bond that Bowman will never take for granted.