David Walter Bowens (born July 3, 1977) is a former American football linebacker who played twelve seasons in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round of the

1999 NFL Draft The 1999 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 17–18, 1999, at the Theater at M ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Michigan. Bowens has also been a member of the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

, Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins,

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

, and Cleveland Browns.

Early years

Bowens attended St. Mary's Preparatory in

Orchard Lake, Michigan Orchard Lake Village is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,375 at the 2010 census. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Orchard Lake Village is located about southwest of the city of Pontiac and n ...

and was a letterman in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

, basketball, and track and field. In basketball, he won All-State honors.

College career

Bowens started his college career at the University of Michigan for two seasons before he transferred to Western Illinois. He majored in

accounting Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the measurement, processing, and communication of financial and non financial information about economic entities such as businesses and corporations. Accounting, which has been called the "languag ...

Professional career

Denver Broncos

Bowens was originally drafted in the fifth round (158th overall) of the

out of Western Illinois University by the Denver Broncos.

Green Bay Packers

Bowens played for the

in 2000, recording 3.5 sacks.

Miami Dolphins

Bowens played with the Miami Dolphins from 2001 to 2006.

New York Jets

On March 27, he agreed to terms on a three-year contract with the Jets worth more than $6 million. He was released by the Jets on February 19, 2009.

Cleveland Browns

Bowens was signed to a four-year, $7.2 million contract by the Cleveland Browns on March 10, 2009.Jets Release Tight End Baker
SI.com, February 20, 2009 The move reunited him with head coach

Eric Mangini Eric Anthony Mangini (born January 19, 1971) is a former American football coach and current television sports analyst. Mangini had been with the San Francisco 49ers since 2013 and served as the team's tight ends coach for two seasons before b ...

, for whom he played while with the Jets. On October 24, 2010, he caught and returned two interceptions for touchdowns against the New Orleans Saints, one for 64 yards and another for 30 yards. These were vital plays and led to the Browns upset win over the Saints, 30-17. On February 9, 2011, the Browns released Bowens.

References

External links

Cleveland Browns bio

New York Jets bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowens, David 1977 births Living people American football defensive ends American football linebackers Buffalo Bills players Cleveland Browns players Denver Broncos players Green Bay Packers players Miami Dolphins players Michigan Wolverines football players New York Jets players Washington Redskins players Western Illinois Leathernecks football players St. Mary's Preparatory alumni Players of American football from Denver People from Orchard Lake, Michigan Players of American football from Michigan Ed Block Courage Award recipients