Long journey: Baseball career took Bowden out west
Submitted photo
Belle Vernon senior baseball players in 1988 were (front, from left) Brian Franks, Ken Holt, Brad Bowden, (back, from left) Greg Steeber, Mark Miller and Russell Lubrani. Bowden batted .510 his senior season,
Submitted photo
Belle Vernon graduate Brad Bowden is shown during his playing days at Lewis-Clark State.
Submitted photo
Belle Vernon graduate Brad Bowden is shown during his playing days at Penn State.
Brad Bowden has a unique place in Belle Vernon Area High School athletic history. When he graduated in 1988, he became only the fourth player in BVA baseball history to earn a Division-1 scholarship, at Penn State, following Jimmy Russell (South Alabama), Tom Vitale (Clemson, although he transferred to Ohio University after one semester) and Ron Quinto (Tennessee, although he never attended there).
Bowden无毛视频檚 athletic journey began as a youngster in California, Pa.
无毛视频淚 started in Little League at nine,无毛视频� Bowden recalled. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 sure I did T-Ball, but I don无毛视频檛 remember it. Organized baseball, the California Little League and from there I went into the Vesta Pony League and from there straight into American Legion baseball when I was 15. I played for the California Legion team. Legion baseball was where you wanted to be to get noticed in that day and age.无毛视频�
Bowden played as a freshman and a sophomore at California Area High School and midway through his sophomore year decided to transfer to Belle Vernon Area.
无毛视频淭he transfer occurred for a number of reasons,无毛视频� Bowden stated. 无毛视频淲hen it came right down to it it无毛视频檚 always supposed to be about academics, but it was also about athletics and getting the exposure and playing at a bigger school.无毛视频�
Bowden played two seasons on some very competitive Belle Vernon football teams. The Leopards posted records of 7-2-1 in 1986 and 7-3 in 1987.
无毛视频淚 only played two years of football at Belle Vernon,无毛视频� Bowden said. 无毛视频淚 played as a freshman and sophomore at California. I transferred mid-year my sophomore year. Bill Connors was the Belle Vernon football coach and he was one of the main reasons why we chose Belle Vernon with his respect and abilities and winning tradition. I had a great relationship with coach Connors.无毛视频�
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Bowdern played fullback and middle linebacker as a junior and fullback and the monster position on defense as a senior.
无毛视频淚 never came off the field,无毛视频� Bowden said. 无毛视频淚 played all the special teams, that is what you did back in the day.无毛视频�
Bowden was first team All-Big Ten conference as a senior at Belle Vernon and was nominated for but did not play in the Big 33 football game.
无毛视频淚 made a mark in football absolutely,无毛视频� Bowden explained. 无毛视频淚 knew in my heart at 5-10, 185 and average speed that football wasn无毛视频檛 going to be my forte moving on into college. I left a good enough impression on the Belle Vernon Football Hall of Fame committee that I got inducted in 2016.无毛视频�
The baseball diamond was where Bowden really made his mark at Belle Vernon.
无毛视频淲hen I first went to Belle Vernon the baseball coach was Don Asmonga,无毛视频� Bowden recalled. 无毛视频淗e actually played professional baseball. He coached my sophomore and junior years. Darryl Hixenbaugh was the coach my senior year.无毛视频�
Bowden put up some big numbers for the Leopards. In his senior campaign in 1988 Bowden batted .510 and led Belle Vernon to a second-place finish in Section 2. In the playoffs the Leopards beat Penn-Trafford, 9-1, and then lost to Plum, 4-2.
无毛视频淚 played shortstop and I was the first Leopard to be a three-time all-section shortstop in Section 2,无毛视频� Bowden said. 无毛视频淪ection 2 at the time was very tough in baseball. We had Connellsville and Uniontown and Laurel Highlands. Connellsville was a powerhouse back then.
无毛视频淲e had a great group of guys,无毛视频� Bowden said. 无毛视频淲e were pretty solid with a sophomore Craig Fayak, Greg Steeber our center fielder. We had a lot of tough hard-nosed kids.无毛视频�
Bowden was named the Washington Observer-Reporter player of the year as a senior.
Coming out of high school Bowden was hoping he might get selected in the Major League baseball draft.
无毛视频淚 didn无毛视频檛 get drafted and that didn无毛视频檛 pan out.无毛视频� Bowden said.
Bowden was recruited by several schools like Penn State, Mississippi State and Ohio State, for baseball and received interest from CMU, W&J and Westminster for football.
无毛视频淭he thing with those schools was it was more of a combination deal, playing football and baseball,无毛视频� Bowden explained. 无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 what intrigued me about the smaller schools. But at the end of the day I knew that I wanted to play baseball and I wanted to concentrate on that sport.
无毛视频淚 did football camp at Penn State for three summers so I was familiar with the campus,无毛视频� Bowden said. 无毛视频淭hey were playing in the Atlantic 10, but I knew I had a chance to play right away. That无毛视频檚 what ultimately made my decision for me.无毛视频�
Bowden was also a fixture on some teams around the Mon Valley and Fayette County.
In 1989 he played for Belle Vernon in the Mon Valley Collegiate League. In 1990 he played for Charleroi in the Collegiate League and Bowden also played for Leckrone in the Fayette County League, winning a batting tile with a .459 batting average. He was second in the league with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs.
无毛视频淚 played for Leckrone in the Fayette County League and I also played for Belle Vernon in the old Collegiate Thoroughbred League at the same time, that was with the Charleroi Magicians,无毛视频� Bowden said. 无毛视频淧laying in those leagues helped. You are playing against guys and with guys that make you step up your game to compete. That was always a driving point for me.无毛视频�
Bowden got off to a great start as a freshman with the Nittany Lions in 1988-89. He was two-time Atlantic 10 player of the week on a squad that finished 23-19-1. He batted a robust .345 with seven home runs and 43 RBIs after being switched to the outfield.
Then things went awry in State College.
无毛视频淚 had a great relationship with coach Clarence 无毛视频楽horty无毛视频� Stoner,无毛视频� Bowden said. 无毛视频淗e ended up retiring my sophomore year and we got a new coach. Things went south after that and I became academically ineligible. I stayed there for the next two years on my own dime getting myself back to where I could play there or transfer. I decided to do the transfer route. I ended up in Lewiston, Idaho at Lewis-Clark State.无毛视频�
He took a circuitous route to Lewis-Clark State.
无毛视频淚t was a great decision to transfer,无毛视频� Bowden opined. 无毛视频淚 came out here sight unseen, I played the summer of 1992 in Alaska in Fairbanks on an opposing coach无毛视频檚 recommendation, in the Alaska Collegiate Baseball League.无毛视频�
Lewis-Clark State, an NAIA school, was led by Hall of Fame coach Ed Cheff and was a powerhouse that captured 16 NAIA National Championships under his leadership and a total of 19 overall.
In 1993 Lewis-Clark State finished 47-16 and they were 51-17 when he was a senior in 1994. Bowden was a good fit with the Warriors.
无毛视频淚 fit in well at Lewis-Clark State,无毛视频� Bowden said. 无毛视频淚 played third base, played a little outfield and did a little catching my junior year. My senior year I played third base.无毛视频�
Bowden started out primarily as a catcher in 1993, with some duties at third base and designated hitter, but established himself as one of the Warriors better left fielders by the end of the season. He batted .341 with five home runs and 51 RBIs. In 1993 he was named to the All-Area 1 team as an outfielder.
In 1994 Bowden moved back to third base, with some backup catching duties. He batted .348 with 15 home runs and 67 RBIs. He was named to the 1994 NAIA District 1 team as third baseman.
Bowden was done playing baseball after he graduated from Lewis-Clark State.
无毛视频淚 accomplished a lot,无毛视频� Bowden said. 无毛视频淏aseball has taken me to places I无毛视频檇 never been if I didn无毛视频檛 play. I don无毛视频檛 regret anything.无毛视频�
Bowden got into the construction business first with M.L. Albright & Sons in Lewiston for 16 years. He is in his first year working for N.A. Degerstrom, Inc.
无毛视频淚 got into construction,无毛视频� Bowden explained. 无毛视频淚 worked myself from being a ditch guy all the way to being the boss.无毛视频�
Bowden, 51, is divorced and resides in Post Falls, Idaho. He had one adult daughter, Kylie.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 perfectly content on where I am in life,无毛视频� Bowden said. 无毛视频淚 just look for some bigger and better things as I move forward.无毛视频�
George Von Benko无毛视频檚 无毛视频淢emory Lane无毛视频� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 无毛视频-Standard. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.