Raymond Keith "R.J." Bowers (born February 10, 1974) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player and Minor League Baseball athlete. He was born in

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

. He was selected by the Houston Astros in 1992 and played six years in their minor league system before retiring from baseball in 1997. Bowers then attended Grove City College, where he became one of the most prolific running backs in

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

history, setting records for career rushing yards (7,353) and points scored (562). He held the NCAA career rushing record from 2000 to 2007, when it was surpassed by

Danny Woodhead Daniel Jacob Henry Woodhead (born January 25, 1985) is an American amateur golfer and former professional football player. He played college football as a running back for the Chadron State Eagles and was signed by the New York Jets of the Nati ...

. He earned multiple All-America honors, won the Melberger Award, and helped Grove City secure two conference championships. Bowers played in the NFL as a halfback and fullback for the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

in 2001 and the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

from 2002 to 2003, recording 84 rushing yards and two touchdowns. After his college football career, Grove City College retired his number 33 jersey, and he was inducted into their Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.

References

External links

Grove City College Tribute Page
*Career statistics and player information fro
Baseball Reference (Minors)
1974 births Grove City College alumni Players of American football from Hawaii American football running backs Pittsburgh Steelers players Cleveland Browns players Living people Grove City Wolverines football players Players of American football from Mercer County, Pennsylvania 20th-century American sportsmen {{Runningback-1970s-stub