Bowman was born in District Heights, Maryland on May 28, 1988. He started sports at a young age and was a member of District Heights boys and girls club, where he played both basketball and football and was invited to many All-star Events. Bowman was a standout player at Suitland High School in Suitland, Maryland.[1] Bowman missed most of his senior season with a shoulder injury, but had a very impressive junior campaign in which he recorded 165 tackles, nine sacks, and three fumble recoveries as a linebacker and ran for 1,200 yards and 22 touchdowns as a running back. Bowman was named the Maryland Defensive Player-of-the-Year, first-team All-State, Washington Post first-team All-Met and first-team All-Conference. He was recruited to Penn State by Larry Johnson, Sr.
After redshirting the 2006 season, Bowman played in nine games in 2007. He missed two games due to a sprained ankle suffered in a game against Illinois. Bowman finished the season with 16 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, a blocked kick, and a pass deflection.[2]
Bowman saw increased playing time in 2008, largely due to the graduation of All-American linebacker Dan Connor and injury to presumptive starter Sean Lee. Despite the attrition, however, Bowman kept the Nittany Lions ranked in the top ten among three primary defensive categories. Individually, he led the Nittany Lions in total tackles (106), solos (61), and assisted tackles (45), was second in tackles for loss (16.5) and tied for third in sacks (4.0). Bowman also forced two fumbles, recovered a fumble, grabbed an interception and had five pass deflections.
Bowman finished the season with a heavy heart and an outstanding performance. He played against Southern California in the 2009 Rose Bowl the day after his high school coach, Nick Lynch, was killed in an automobile accident in Maryland. Bowman responded by breaking the school's bowl record with five tackles for loss (minus-21 yards), and tying the Rose Bowl record set by Ohio State's Andy Katzenmoyer in the 1997 game. Bowman also recorded his fourth sack of the season among his eight tackles (seven solo) against the Trojans. For his superb efforts against USC, Bowman was selected to ESPN.com's 2008–09 All-Bowl team, one of two Big Ten players named to the squad.[3]
At the end of the season, Bowman was named a first-team All-Big Ten selection.[4]
Awards and honors
Maryland Defensive PoY (2005)
Maryland All-State (2005)
Washington Post All-Met (2005)
Big Ten Defensive PoW (September 20, 2008), (November 14, 2009)
All-Big Ten (2008)
Professional career
Pre-draft
On January 4, 2010, Bowman's mother announced his decision to forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility and enter the 2010 NFL draft.[5]
On the second day of the 2010 NFL draft, Bowman was selected in the third round with the 91st overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers.[7] Bowman played in all 16 games in 2010, starting one in place of Patrick Willis, who was ruled out for Week 17 after undergoing a second surgery on his broken right hand. Bowman finished his rookie year with 46 tackles.[8]
2011
In 2011, Bowman became the starter at inside linebacker with the departure of Takeo Spikes in free agency.
Bowman began the season recording a team-high seven tackles during the season-opening 33–17 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.[9] In the next game against the Dallas Cowboys, he had a team-high 11 tackles and a pass deflection as the 49ers lost in overtime by a score of 27–24.[10] The following week against the Cincinnati Bengals, Bowman recorded a team-high 13 tackles as the 49ers won on the road by a score of 13–8.[11] During a Week 6 25–19 road victory over the Detroit Lions, Bowman recorded a team-high 14 tackles and a pass deflection.[12]
Following a Week 7 bye, the 49ers faced the Cleveland Browns. In that game, Bowman had a team-high 12 tackles and a pass deflection as the 49ers won by a score of 20–10.[13] Two weeks later against the New York Giants, he recorded a team-high 15 tackles as the 49ers won by a score of 27–20.[14] During a Week 12 16–6 road loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving, Bowman had a team-high nine tackles.[15]
During a narrow Week 16 19–17 road victory over the Seahawks, he recorded a team-high 12 tackles, a pass deflection, and his first NFL sack.[16] In the regular-season finale against the St. Louis Rams, Bowman recorded a team-high 10 tackles, a pass deflection, and a sack in the 34–27 road victory.[17]
Starting in all 16 games and playing alongside All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis, Bowman made huge strides and finished his second professional season with 143 tackles, two sacks, eight pass deflections, and three fumble recoveries.[18] Bowman also led the 49ers in tackles and his 111 solo tackles ranked second in the NFL. With the emergence in his play, Bowman helped a top-ranked 49ers defense set an NFL single-season record of not allowing a rushing touchdown for 14 games. The previous record was held by the 1920 Decatur Staleys, who did not allow a rushing touchdown in a 13-game season.[citation needed]
The 49ers finished the 2011 season atop the NFC West with a 13–3 record and earned a first-round bye in the playoffs as the #2-seed.[19] In the Divisional Round against the New Orleans Saints, Bowman recorded 11 tackles as the 49ers won by a score of 36–32.[20] During the NFC Championship Game against the Giants, he recorded 14 tackles and 0.5 sacks as the 49ers lost in overtime by a score of 20–17.[21] Although Bowman was not voted to the Pro Bowl for his stellar season, he was named to the First-team All-Pro by the Associated Press. Bowman was also voted No. 85 on NFL Network's Top 100 Players of 2012, which recognizes performance from the previous season.[22]
2012
During the season-opening 30–22 road victory over the Green Bay Packers, Bowman recorded a team-high 11 tackles, two pass deflections, and his first NFL interception off of Aaron Rodgers.[23] Two weeks later against the Minnesota Vikings, Bowman had a team-high 18 tackles in the 24–13 road loss.[24]
During a Week 7 13–6 victory over the Seahawks, Bowman recorded seven tackles and his first sack of the season.[25] In the next game against the Arizona Cardinals, he recorded a tackle and his second sack of the season as the 49ers won on the road by a score of 24–3.[26]
Following a Week 9 bye, the 49ers faced the Rams at home in Week 10. Bowman finished the 24–24 tie with a team-high 13 tackles.[27] In the next game against the Chicago Bears, he recorded a team-high 13 tackles as the 49ers won by a score of 32–7.[28] During a Week 14 27–13 victory over the Miami Dolphins, Bowman had a team-high seven tackles.[29] In the next game against the New England Patriots, he recorded a team-high 12 tackles and a forced fumble in the 41–34 road victory.[30] The following week against the Seahawks, Bowman recorded a team-high 16 tackles in the 42–13 road loss.[31]
The 49ers finished the season atop the NFC West with an 11–4–1 record and earned a first-round bye in the playoffs as the #2-seed.[32] Bowman finished the 2012 season with 148 tackles, two sacks, six pass deflections, a forced fumble, and an interception in 16 games and starts.[33] In the Divisional Round against the Packers, he recorded six tackles and two pass deflections as the 49ers won by a score of 45–31.[34] During the NFC Championship Game against Atlanta Falcons, Bowman had four tackles and a pass deflection in the 28–24 comeback road victory as the 49ers advanced to Super Bowl XLVII.[35] In the Super Bowl against the Ravens, he recorded nine tackles but the 49ers fell behind early and could not come back, losing by a score of 34–31.[36]
2013
Bowman in 2013
Bowman began the 2013 season recording a team-high eight tackles and a pass deflection during the season-opening 34–28 victory over the Packers.[37] In the next game against the Seahawks, he had a team-high 11 tackles during the 29–3 road loss.[38] The following week against the Indianapolis Colts, Bowman recorded a team-high nine tackles and a pass deflection as the 49ers lost by a score of 27–7.[39]
During a Week 4 35–11 road victory over the Rams, Bowman recorded six tackles, a pass deflection, and his first two sacks of the season on Sam Bradford (one was a strip-sack).[40] In the next game against the Houston Texans, Bowman had a team-high 13 tackles (tied with Michael Wilhoite) during the 34–3 victory.[41] Three weeks later against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, he recorded a team-high 10 tackles and a pass deflection as the 49ers won by a score of 42–10.[42]
Following a Week 9 bye, the 49ers returned home to face the Carolina Panthers. In that game, Bowman recorded a team-high seven tackles as the 49ers narrowly lost by a score of 10–9.[43] In the next game against the Saints, he had a team-high 15 tackles during the 23–20 road victory.[44] Two weeks later against the Rams, Bowman recorded a team-high 11 tackles and a sack as the 49ers won by a score of 23–13.[45]
During a narrow Week 14 19–17 victory over the Seahawks, Bowman recorded a team-high nine tackles and a sack.[46] Two weeks later against the Falcons, he had 11 tackles, a pass deflection, and scored the last touchdown ever at Candlestick Park after intercepting a pass off of Matt Ryan and returned it for an 89-yard touchdown as the 49ers won by a score of 34–24, sending them to the playoffs for the third consecutive season.[47] In the regular-season finale against the Cardinals, Bowman recorded a team-high 10 tackles (tied with Eric Reid), a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, a pass deflection, and an interception as the 49ers won on the road by a score of 23–20.[48]
Bowman finished the 2013 season with 145 tackles (which ranked fifth in the league), five sacks, two interceptions, nine pass deflections, six forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries in 16 games and starts.[49] He earned First-team All-Pro honors for the third time. The 49ers finished the 2013 season second in the NFC West with a 12–4 record and qualified for the playoffs.[50] They beat the Packers on the road by a score of 23–20 during the Wild Card Round in which Bowman had a team-high 10 tackles and a forced fumble.[51] In the Divisional Round of the playoffs, the 49ers beat the Panthers on the road by a score of 23–10 behind a strong performance by Bowman, who recorded a team-high 11 tackles and a sack.[52] During the NFC Championship Game against the Seahawks, he recorded a team-high 14 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble before leaving the eventual 23–17 road loss in the fourth quarter with a serious knee injury.[53] It was later revealed that Bowman tore both his ACL and MCL.[54]
2014
Bowman's injury caused him to miss the entire 2014 season.
2015
In 2015, Bowman returned from his knee injury that had kept him out for the previous season despite significant concern about his health going into the season. During the season-opening 20–3 victory over the Vikings, Bowman recorded seven tackles and a sack.[55] Two weeks later against the Cardinals, he recorded a team-high nine tackles as the 49ers lost by a score of 47–7.[56]
During a Week 5 30–27 road loss to the Giants, Bowman recorded a team-high 16 tackles.[57] In the next game against the Ravens, he had a team-high 15 tackles as the 49ers won by a score of 25–20.[58] Two weeks later against the Rams, Bowman recorded a team-high 12 tackles in the 27–6 road loss.[59] During a narrow Week 9 17–16 victory over the Falcons, Bowman recorded seven tackles, a pass deflection, and a sack.[60]
During a Week 12 19–13 loss to the Cardinals, Bowman recorded a team-high eight tackles and a pass deflection.[61] In the next game against the Bears, he had a team-high 14 tackles during the 26–20 overtime road victory.[62] Two weeks later against the Bengals, Bowman recorded a team-high 11 tackles as the 49ers lost by a score of 24–14.[63] During a Week 16 32–17 road loss to the Lions, he had 10 tackles and 0.5 sacks.[64] In the regular-season finale against the Rams, Bowman recorded nine tackles and a forced fumble as the 49ers won in overtime by a score of 19–16.[65]
Bowman finished the 2015 season with a career-high and league-leading 154 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two pass deflections, and a forced fumble in 16 games and starts.[66] He made his third Pro Bowl appearance and his fourth First-team All-Pro appearance.[67] Bowman was also ranked 61st on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.[68]
2016
Bowman in 2016
Bowman began the season strong, recording a team-high nine tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception during the season-opening 28–0 shutout victory over the Los Angeles Rams.[69] In the next game against the Panthers, he had a team-high 11 tackles and a pass deflection as the 49ers lost on the road by a score of 46–27.[70] The following week against the Seahawks, Bowman recorded seven tackles and a forced fumble in the 37–18 road loss.[71]
During a Week 4 24–17 loss to the Cowboys, Bowman recorded eight tackles and a sack before falling down and gripping the lower back end of his left foot in the third quarter.[72] MRI tests later revealed that Bowman tore his achilles tendon, prematurely ending his season.[73]
2017
During a Week 2 12–9 road loss to the Seahawks, Bowman recorded a team-high 11 tackles.[74] Three weeks later against the Colts, he had a team-high 10 tackles in the 26–23 overtime road loss, but was benched for a few series and later voiced his displeasure with the decision.[75]
On October 13, 2017, Bowman was released from the 49ers at his request after the team was unable to trade him.[76][77]
NaVorro gave his heart and soul to this team for the last eight years, and for that we are all extremely grateful. During that time, NaVorro was a key component of one of the best teams in the League and his passion for the game allowed him to quickly become a favorite of our Faithful fans. Thursday evening, Kyle and I met with NaVorro, and from our conversation it became evident that going in different directions was best for both him and our team. Although NaVorro may be moving on, he will always be looked at as one of the great players to wear the red and gold. We wish him and his family great success.[76]
On October 16, 2017, Bowman signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Oakland Raiders.[78]
Bowman made his Raiders debut during the narrow Week 7 31–30 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, recording a team-high 11 tackles.[79] In the next game against the Buffalo Bills, Bowman had a team-high 11 tackles during the 34–14 road loss.[80] The following week against the Dolphins, Bowman recorded 10 tackles (tied with Dexter McDonald) in the 27–24 road victory.[81]
During a Week 12 21–14 victory over the Denver Broncos, Bowman recorded seven tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass from quarterback Paxton Lynch in the end zone, giving the Raiders their first interception of the year after not having one in their first 11 weeks under defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr.[82][83] In the next game against the Giants, Bowman had a team-high nine tackles and a fumble recovery in the 24–17 victory.[84] The following week against the Chiefs, he recorded a team-high eight tackles, a pass deflection, and his first sack of the season as the Raiders lost on the road by a score of 26–15.[85]
During a Week 15 20–17 loss to the Cowboys, Bowman recorded a team-high nine tackles.[86] In the next game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Christmas Day, he had a team-high seven tackles in the 19–10 road loss.[87] In the regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, Bowman recorded a team-high 13 tackles and 0.5 sacks in the 30–10 road loss.[88]
In 15 games on the 49ers and Raiders rosters during the 2017 season, Bowman accumulated 127 tackles, three pass deflections, 1.5 sacks, a fumble recovery, and an interception.[89]
Retirement
On June 4, 2019, Bowman announced his retirement from the NFL after eight seasons and retired symbolically with the 49ers.[90]
On February 14, 2024, Bowman was named as the linebackers coach for the Los Angeles Chargers.[91]
"NaVorro Bowman Rule"
During the play where Bowman suffered his season-ending injury, Bowman stripped Seahawks' wide receiver Jermaine Kearse of the ball near the goal line, and appeared to take over possession. However, the officials ruled the ball to be in possession of the Seahawks. Under the instant replay conditions at the time, the officials were not permitted to take a second look. On March 26, 2014, team owners approved a change that would allow the referees to review the recovery of a loose ball. A similar proposal to allow coaches to question any recovery using one of their challenges was voted down.[92][93]
Personal life
Bowman graduated from Penn State with a degree in crime, law, and justice.[2] He speaks frequently by phone with former Nittany Lion linebacker LaVar Arrington. They first met during Arrington's stint with the Washington Redskins, when Bowman was playing at nearby Suitland High School.[94] This friendship, along with their similarity in playing styles, has earned Bowman the nickname "LaVorro".[94]
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