Steven Ellis Bowman (November 30, 1944 – November 17, 2017) was an American 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 ...

halfback who played one season with the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

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 was selected by the Giants in the 15th round of the

1966 NFL draft The 1966 NFL draft was held at the 569 Lexington Avenue, Summit Hotel in New York City on Saturday, November 27, 1965. The expansion 1966 Atlanta Falcons season, Atlanta Falcons were awarded the first pick in each round as well as the final pick ...

after playing

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 ...

at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

Early life

Steven Ellis Bowman was born on November 30, 1944, in

Pascagoula, Mississippi Pascagoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula metropolitan area, and is part of the Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi, Biloxi–Pascag ...

. He played football and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

at Pascagoula High School in Pascagoula. He earned All-Big 8 honors as a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

in football. Bowman was inducted into the Pascagoula Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.

College career

Bowman was a member of the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the Na ...

of the

from 1962 to 1965 and a three-year letterman from 1963 to 1965. He rushed 39 times for 146 yards in 1963. In 1964, he totaled 106 carries for 536 yards and eight touchdowns, and three receptions for 27 yards, earning

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(AP) first-team

All-SEC The All-SEC football team is an annual Southeastern Conference (SEC) honor bestowed on the best players in the conference following every college football season. Seasons Following is a list of all-conference teams in the history of the SEC: * ...

and

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ce ...

(UPI) third-team All-SEC honors. His eight rushing touchdowns and 5.1 yards per carry were both the highest in the SEC that season. The 1964 Crimson Tide were named national champions. Bowman rushed 153 times for 770 yards and six touchdowns his senior year in 1965 while also catching nine passes for 95 yards, garnering AP first-team All-SEC, UPI first-team All-SEC, and

Central Press Association The Central Press Association was American print syndication, newspaper syndication company based in Cleveland, Ohio. It was in business from 1910 to 1971. Originally independent, it was a subsidiary of King Features Syndicate from 1930 onwards. ...

second-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

recognition. Bowman's 770 rushing yards were the most in the SEC that sesson. The 1965 Crimson Tide were named national champions for the second year in a row.

Professional career

Bowman was selected by the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

in the 20th round, with the 179th overall pick, of the

1966 AFL draft The 1966 American Football League draft was held on Saturday, November 27, 1965. The AFL added the Miami Dolphins as an expansion team in 1966 to bring its total to nine franchises for its seventh season. The Dolphins were awarded the first over ...

and by the

in the 15th round, with the 226th overall pick, of the

. He decided to sign with the Giants. On August 31, 1966, the Giants allocated him to the

Atlantic Coast Football League The Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL) was a professional American football Minor league football (gridiron), minor league that operated from 1962 to 1973. Until 1969, many of its franchises had working agreements with National Football Leagu ...

(ACFL) to play for the

Scranton Miners The Scranton Miners, known as the Scranton Apollos from 1970 to 1977, were a professional basketball team based in Scranton, Pennsylvania that was a member of the American Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association. Arthur Pachter ...

, the Giants

farm team In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a Team sport, team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any s ...

. Bowman rushed 118 times for 581 yards and three touchdowns while also scoring one receiving touchdown for the Miners during the 1966 ACFL season. On November 25, 1966, Bowman was recalled to the Giants. He then played in four games for the Giants during the 1966 NFL season.

Personal life

Bowman died on November 17, 2017, in

Centreville, Alabama Centreville is a city and the county seat of Bibb County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 2,800. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Centreville has a total area of , of which are land and , or 1.52 ...

References

External links

College stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowman, Steve 1944 births 2017 deaths American football halfbacks Alabama Crimson Tide football players New York Giants players Atlantic Coast Football League players Players of American football from Pascagoula, Mississippi 20th-century American sportsmen