Timothy L. Bowens (born February 7, 1973) 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 who was a

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

for 11 seasons with the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Ole Miss Rebels The Ole Miss Rebels are the 18 men's and women's College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that are funded by and represent the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford, Mississippi, Oxford. The first was the Ole ...

, and was chosen with the 20th pick of the

1994 NFL draft The 1994 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24–25, 1994, at the Marriott Ma ...

by the Dolphins. The Dolphins were initially criticized for picking Bowens, as he was overweight and had played only nine games in his college career at Mississippi. He had a terrific rookie season in 1994, and Bowens was named 'The NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year' by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

. He played with the Miami Dolphins for 11 years"Profile: Tim Bowens"
NFL before he retired after the

2004 NFL season The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League (NFL). With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004, to January 2, 2005. Hurricanes forced ...

. He was inducted into the

Miami Dolphins Honor Roll The Miami Dolphins Ring of Honor is a ring around the second tier at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, which honors former players, coaches, contributors, and officials who have made significant contributions to the Miami Dolphins franc ...

on October 27, 2024.

Early life

Tim Bowens was born and grew up in

Okolona, Mississippi Okolona is a city in and one of the two county seats of Chickasaw County, Mississippi, Chickasaw County, Mississippi, United States. It is located near the eastern border of the county. The population was 2,692 at the 2010 United States Census, ...

, one of two county seats in rural Chickasaw County. He played football at Okolona High School. He was an All-State pick as a senior and an All-District pick as a junior and senior. As a senior, he led his team to the Class AA semifinals and an 11–2 record. He was also a two-year letter winner in basketball.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

1973 births Living people People from Okolona, Mississippi American football defensive tackles Itawamba Indians football players Miami Dolphins players Ole Miss Rebels football players NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year winners American Conference Pro Bowl players 20th-century American sportsmen {{defensive-lineman-1970s-stub