NaVorro Roderick Bowman (born May 28, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He most recently served as the linebackers coach for the Los Angeles Chargers. Bowman played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Oakland Raiders.
Early life 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. He 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.
College career Bowman played for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team while attending Pennsylvania State University from 2006 to 2009.
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.
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.
At the end of the season, Bowman was named a first-team All-Big Ten selection.
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.
San Francisco 49ers 2010 On the second day of the 2010 NFL draft, Bowman was selected in the third round (91st overall) by the San Francisco 49ers. 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.
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. In the next game against the Dallas Cowboys, he had a team-high 11 tackles and a pass deflection during the 27–24 overtime loss. The following week against the Cincinnati Bengals, Bowman recorded a team-high 13 tackles in the 13–8 road victory.
During Week 6 against the Detroit Lions, Bowman recorded a team-high 14 tackles and a pass deflection in the 25–19 road victory. Following a Week 7 bye, the 49ers faced the Cleveland Browns. Bowman finished the 20–10 victory with a team-high 12 tackles and a pass deflection. Two weeks later against the New York Giants, he had a team-high 15 tackles as the 49ers won by a score of 27–20. During a Week 12 16–6 road loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving, Bowman recorded a team-high nine tackles.
During a narrow Week 16 19–17 road victory over the Seahawks, Bowman recorded a team-high 12 tackles, a pass deflection, and his first NFL sack. In the regular-season finale against the St. Louis Rams, Bowman had a team-high 10 tackles, a pass deflection, and a sack during the 34–27 road victory.
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. 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.
The 49ers finished atop the NFC West with a 13–3 record and earned a first-round bye in the playoffs as the #2-seed. In the Divisional Round against the New Orleans Saints, Bowman had 11 tackles during the 36–32 victory. During the NFC Championship Game against the Giants, he recorded 14 tackles and 0.5 sacks in the 20–17 overtime loss. 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 85th by his fellow players on NFL Network's Top 100 Players of 2012.
2012 During the season-opener against the Green Bay Packers, Bowman recorded a team-high 11 tackles, two pass deflections, and his first NFL interception off of Aaron Rodgers in the 30–22 road victory. In the next game against the Lions, he had eight tackles and a pass deflection during the 27–19 victory. The following week against the Minnesota Vikings, Bowman had a team-high 18 tackles in the 24–13 road loss.
During a Week 4 34–0 shutout road victory over the New York Jets, Bowman had eight tackles and a pass deflection. In the next game against the Buffalo Bills, he recorded four tackles and a pass deflection during the 45–3 blowout victory. The following week against the Giants, he had a team-high 11 tackles in the 26–3 blowout loss.
During Week 7 against the Seahawks on Thursday Night Football, Bowman recorded seven tackles and his first sack of the season on Russell Wilson in the 13–6 victory. In the next game against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football, Bowman had a tackle and a sack during the 24–3 road victory. Following a Week 9 bye, the 49ers returned home to face the Rams. Bowman finished the 24–24 tie with a team-high 13 tackles. In the next game against the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, he recorded a team-high 13 tackles during the 32–7 victory.
During a Week 14 27–13 victory over the Miami Dolphins, Bowman had a team-high seven tackles. In the next game against the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football, he recorded a team-high 12 tackles and a forced fumble during the 41–34 road victory. The following week against the Seahawks, Bowman had a team-high 16 tackles in the 42–13 road loss. During the regular season finale against the Cardinals, he recorded five tackles and a pass deflection in the 27–13 victory.
Bowman finished the 2012 season with 148 tackles, two sacks, six pass deflections, a forced fumble, and an interception in 16 games and starts. The 49ers finished atop the NFC West with an 11–4–1 record and earned a first-round bye in the playoffs as the #2-seed. In the Divisional Round against the Packers, he recorded six tackles and two pass deflections during the 45–31 victory. 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. 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.
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. In the next game against the Seahawks, he had a team-high 11 tackles during the 29–3 road loss. The following week against the Indianapolis Colts, Bowman recorded a team-high nine tackles and a pass deflection in the 27–7 loss.
During Week 4 against the Rams on Thursday Night Football, Bowman had six tackles, a pass deflection, and his first two sacks of the season on Sam Bradford, one of which was a strip-sack, in the 35–11 road victory. In the next game against the Houston Texans, Bowman recorded a team-high 13 tackles (tied with Michael Wilhoite) during the 34–3 victory. The following week against the Cardinals, he had six tackles and a fumble recovery in the 32–20 victory.
During a Week 7 31–17 road victory over the Tennessee Titans, Bowman recorded six tackles and a pass deflection. In the next game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London, he had a team-high 10 tackles and a pass deflection during the 42–10 victory. Following a Week 9 bye, the 49ers returned home to face the Carolina Panthers. Bowman finished the narrow 10–9 loss with a team-high seven tackles.
During Week 11 against the Saints, Bowman had a team-high 15 tackles during the 23–20 road victory. Two weeks later against the Rams, he recorded a team-high 11 tackles and a sack in the 23–13 victory. In the next game against the Seahawks, Bowman had a team-high nine tackles and a sack during the narrow 19–17 victory.
During a Week 15 33–14 road victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bowman recorded four tackles and a pass deflection. In the next game against the Falcons on Monday Night Football, 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. During 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 in the 23–20 road victory.
Bowman finished the 2013 season with 145 tackles (which ranked fifth in the league), five sacks, two interceptions, eight pass deflections, six forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and a touchdown in 16 games and starts. He earned First-team All-Pro honors for the third time. The 49ers finished second in the NFC West with a 12–4 record and qualified for the playoffs as the #5-seed. During the Wild Card Round against the Packers, Bowman had a team-high 10 tackles and a forced fumble in the 23–20 road victory. In the Divisional Round against the Panthers, he recorded a team-high 11 tackles and a sack during the 23–10 road victory. During the NFC Championship Game against the Seahawks, Bowman had 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. It was later revealed that he tore both his ACL and MCL.
2014 Bowman's injury caused him to miss the entire 2014 season.
2015