NaVorro Bowman facts for kids
Bowman in 2023
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| Los Angeles Chargers | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Linebackers coach | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | May 28, 1988 District Heights, Maryland, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 242 lb (110 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Suitland (Suitland, Maryland) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Penn State (2006–2009) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2010 / Round: 3 / Pick: 91 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| As coach: | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
NaVorro Roderick Bowman (born May 28, 1988) is a former American football player. He was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. Today, he is the linebackers coach for the Los Angeles Chargers. Bowman played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions. The San Francisco 49ers picked him in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft. He also played for the Oakland Raiders.
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
NaVorro Bowman was born in District Heights, Maryland, on May 28, 1988. He started playing sports when he was very young. He was part of the District Heights Boys & Girls Club. There, he played both basketball and football. He was even invited to many All-star events.
Bowman was a star player at Suitland High School in Suitland, Maryland. He missed most of his senior year because of a shoulder injury. However, his junior year was amazing. He made 165 tackles, nine sacks, and recovered three fumbles as a linebacker. As a running back, he ran for 1,200 yards and scored 22 touchdowns. Bowman was named Maryland Defensive Player-of-the-Year. He also made the first-team All-State and Washington Post first-team All-Met teams.
College Football Career
Bowman played for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team. He attended Pennsylvania State University from 2006 to 2009.
Starting at Penn State
After sitting out the 2006 season, Bowman played in nine games in 2007. He had 16 tackles, one sack, and forced a fumble. He also recovered a fumble and blocked a kick.
In 2008, Bowman played much more. He became a key player for the Nittany Lions defense. He led the team in total tackles with 106. He also had 16.5 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks. Bowman forced two fumbles and made an interception.
Rose Bowl Performance
Bowman played in the 2009 Rose Bowl against Southern California. This was a very tough game for him. His high school coach had passed away the day before. Bowman played incredibly well despite this. He set a school record with five tackles for loss. He also tied a Rose Bowl record. He had eight tackles, including seven solo tackles, and one sack. Because of his great play, he was named to ESPN.com's All-Bowl team.
At the end of the 2008 season, Bowman was named a first-team All-Big Ten player.
College Awards and Honors
- Maryland Defensive Player of the Year (2005)
- Maryland All-State (2005)
- Washington Post All-Met (2005)
- Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week (September 20, 2008), (November 14, 2009)
- First-team All-Big Ten (2008)
Joining the NFL
On January 4, 2010, Bowman decided to leave college early. He entered the 2010 NFL draft.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+1⁄2 in (1.84 m) |
242 lb (110 kg) |
33 in (0.84 m) |
9+7⁄8 in (0.25 m) |
4.77 s | 1.65 s | 4.59 s | 6.91 s | 29.5 in (0.75 m) |
9 ft 7 in (2.92 m) |
26 reps | 11 | |
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
San Francisco 49ers (2010–2017)
The San Francisco 49ers picked Bowman in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft. He was the 91st overall pick.
Rookie Season (2010)
In his first year, Bowman played in all 16 games. He started one game. He finished his rookie season with 46 tackles.
Becoming a Star (2011)
In 2011, Bowman became a full-time starter at inside linebacker. He played next to All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis. Bowman had a fantastic season. He led the 49ers in tackles with 143. He also had two sacks and three fumble recoveries. His 111 solo tackles were second-best in the entire NFL.
Bowman helped the 49ers defense set an NFL record. They did not allow a rushing touchdown for 14 games. The 49ers finished with a 13–3 record. They made it to the NFC Championship Game. Bowman was named First-team All-Pro by the Associated Press. He was also ranked among the NFL's Top 100 Players.
Continued Success (2012)
Bowman continued his strong play in 2012. He had 148 tackles, two sacks, and his first NFL interception. The 49ers finished with an 11–4–1 record. They reached Super Bowl XLVII. Bowman had nine tackles in the Super Bowl. However, the 49ers lost a close game to the Baltimore Ravens.
Dominant Performance (2013)
The 2013 season was one of Bowman's best. He had 145 tackles, which was fifth in the league. He also recorded five sacks, two interceptions, and six forced fumbles. He earned First-team All-Pro honors for the third time.
The 49ers made the playoffs again. They won two playoff games. In the NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks, Bowman had 14 tackles. However, he suffered a serious knee injury in the fourth quarter. He tore both his ACL and MCL.
Injury and Comeback (2014-2015)
Bowman's knee injury caused him to miss the entire 2014 season. He worked hard to recover. In 2015, he made a strong comeback. He led the league with a career-high 154 tackles. He also had 2.5 sacks. He was selected to his third Pro Bowl and earned his fourth First-team All-Pro award. He was ranked 61st among the NFL's Top 100 Players.
Final Years with 49ers (2016-2017)
Bowman started the 2016 season well. He had an interception and a sack in the first few games. But in Week 4, he tore his achilles tendon. This injury ended his season early.
In 2017, Bowman returned from his Achilles injury. He played five games for the 49ers. On October 13, 2017, Bowman asked to be released from the team. The 49ers agreed.
Oakland Raiders (2017)
On October 16, 2017, Bowman signed a one-year contract with the Oakland Raiders. He quickly became a key player for their defense.
He made his Raiders debut with 11 tackles. He continued to make many tackles in his games with the Raiders. He also had an interception and a sack. In 10 games with the Raiders, he had 89 tackles. Overall in 2017, he had 127 tackles across both teams.
Retirement from Playing
On June 4, 2019, NaVorro Bowman announced he was retiring from the NFL. He played for eight seasons. He symbolically retired as a member of the 49ers.
NFL Career Statistics
Here are NaVorro Bowman's statistics from his time playing in the NFL.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | PD | Int | Yds | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2010 | SF | 16 | 1 | 46 | 38 | 8 | 0.0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | SF | 16 | 16 | 143 | 111 | 32 | 2.0 | 8 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | SF | 16 | 16 | 148 | 96 | 52 | 2.0 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | SF | 16 | 16 | 145 | 120 | 25 | 5.0 | 8 | 2 | 93 | 89T | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | SF | 0 | 0 | Did not play due to injury | ||||||||||||
| 2015 | SF | 16 | 16 | 154 | 116 | 38 | 2.5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | SF | 4 | 4 | 35 | 24 | 11 | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | SF | 5 | 5 | 38 | 22 | 16 | 0.0 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OAK | 10 | 10 | 89 | 58 | 31 | 1.5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Career | 99 | 84 | 798 | 585 | 213 | 14.0 | 29 | 5 | 104 | 89 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | |
Postseason
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | PD | Int | Yds | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2011 | SF | 2 | 2 | 25 | 18 | 7 | 0.5 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | SF | 3 | 3 | 19 | 14 | 5 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | SF | 3 | 3 | 35 | 21 | 14 | 2.0 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 8 | 8 | 79 | 53 | 26 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Coaching Career
On February 14, 2024, Bowman became the linebackers coach for the Los Angeles Chargers. He joined the team under new head coach Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh was also his head coach for four seasons when Bowman played for the San Francisco 49ers.
The "NaVorro Bowman Rule"
During the playoff game where Bowman got his serious knee injury, he also made a big play. He seemed to take the ball away from a Seahawks player near the goal line. However, the officials ruled that the Seahawks still had the ball. Back then, the rules for instant replay did not allow officials to review this type of play.
Because of this play, the NFL changed its rules. On March 26, 2014, team owners approved a new rule. This rule now lets referees review who recovered a loose ball. This change is sometimes called the "NaVorro Bowman Rule."
Personal Life
NaVorro Bowman studied crime, law, and justice at Penn State. He often talks on the phone with former Penn State linebacker LaVar Arrington. They first met when Arrington played for the Washington Redskins. Bowman was playing at Suitland High School nearby. Because they are friends and play in similar styles, Bowman earned the nickname "LaVorro."
