It hasn't been an easy road for quarterback John Bowenkamp, but you wouldn't
know it from talking to him. His upbeat, positive outlook is readily apparent
when you talk to him. After spending just a few minutes talking with him, you
can't help but ask why some NFL club isn't ringing his phone, ready at the very
least to send him to NFL Europe. And as you get to know him, you quickly find
yourself pulling for him to succeed.
Bowenkamp became a starter at the University of North Dakota during his
sophomore year. As he tells it, "I came in and we threw the ball around a
lot that year, I had some pretty big games. Then my junior year was probably my best year in college.
We went to the Division II National Championship game and we just had a
phenomenal year, probably one of the best years in school history besides 2001
when we won the National Championship."
Yeah, he had some pretty big games. Bowenkamp set regular season records for
passing yards (2,247) and completion percentage (65.1) his junior year. And his
20 touchdown passes were three short of the school record for a single season.
So he entered his senior year ready to put his skills and leadership ability
on display for NFL scouts, but he tore his latissimus dorsi on his throwing
side. He tried to play in the first game, but couldn’t
get anything on the ball, so he sat out for part of his final season in hopes
that it would heal.
"I came back, but I wasn’t really
the same," he said. "I had basically lost all of the strength of my
arm and it wasn’t so much that I couldn’t throw, I couldn’t stop the
momentum of my arm coming down. So it never really messed with my mechanics or
the velocity I can put on the ball, it was all just stopping my arm coming
down."
He finished what should have been his top season completing 40 of 88 passes for
407 yards, 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.
Despite the tough turn of events, the Vikings had seen enough of his
potential to sign him as an undrafted free agent in 2005. And he got the
opportunity to room with veteran quarterback Brad Johnson during training camp.
"I had an awesome time learning
the offense and Brad took me under his wing," he said. "I
still stay in contact with Brad, he’s just a phenomenal guy and one of the
smartest football minds out there as far as being a quarterback."
Following Minnesota's second preseason game, Bowenkamp was released as the
Vikings trimmed their roster; a common fate for an undrafted free agent straight
out of college. But Bowenkamp stayed in touch with Mike Tice, the head coach at
that time in Minnesota.
"They said they were going to allocate me to Europe at the end of the
season," he said. "So I got
ready for Europe and at the end of the season the entire coaching staff got
fired."
It was one more bump in the road for Bowenkamp. But he just kept pushing
forward. He signed as a free agent with the Rhine Fire in NFL Europe, but didn't
get to see much playing time.
"I got put on a team with Drew Henson, who was allocated by the Cowboys,
and Timmy Chang, who was allocated by the Eagles," he said. But the
ever-positive Bowenkamp still saw the value of the experience and was proud of
the fact that he had to beat out two other good quarterbacks to make the Fire's
roster.
And NFL Europe is where Bowenkamp plans to be this spring. Because that's where
he can get the game film that he can show to NFL teams to prove to them that
he's fully healed from his injury and capable of running an NFL offense.
"That’s where I am right now, I
just hope I can get allocated and go back over to Europe because I know I can
play and I feel like my body is finally at one hundred percent," he said.
"It’s back to where I can just throw all day and really cut it lose and
it’s feeling great.
"If I get the opportunity, I’m not going to be a guy who’s going to
blow it, I’m going to do everything I can to do my best."
Bowenkamp is hopeful that an NFL club will send him to Europe as an allocated
player. When he was coming out of college, scouts from the Jacksonville Jaguars,
the Detroit Lions, New York Giants, and the Vikings all showed interest in him.
But most clubs he's had contact with as of late have said that they want to see
some current tape on him.
"I need to play somewhere and get some tape at a higher level than Division
II," he said. "So that’s my goal this year is to go over to NFL
Europe and get some tape just to prove that I can play.
"I’ve been blessed with size. I’m 6-foot-5, I weigh about 225 and I’m
a pocket-passer who can move around in the pocket. But if I have to I can run; I
ran a 4.69 in college and I think with the pro scouts I ran a 4.74."
With the NFL's new rule that only requires teams to allocate five players
instead of eight, the chances aren't as good for any player with NFL
aspirations. But even if he has to head to Europe as a free agent, Bowenkamp
sees the change to the system as a positive one for him.
"There could be a chance that there’s a lot more free agents playing
which would be good," he said. "I’m
going to keep my options open and if I can get on a team no matter which way and
compete for a spot, that’s my goal.
"If a team wants to allocate me, that’s great; they can cut me the second
I get back. I just want to go over there and compete and play. I’ve stayed in contact with a couple coaches over there and
I think they like me, they want me to come back so I’m looking forward to it."
Undeterred. Enthusiastic. Passionate. Take your pick. John Bowenkamp happens
to be all three. He's not going to let any bumps in the road keep him from his
final destination. He's ready to prove to the NFL that he can play.
"I’m a second-generation quarterback, my dad was a quarterback at
University of Nebraska Omaha, and I’ve never played any other position my
whole life," he said. "I absolutely love playing football, I love
working out to play football. I love throwing the football, I love being a
leader, I love knowing the ins and outs of an offense, and I just have a desire
to play.
"Every level I’ve played at, when it was crunch time in a big game and
you have to let yourself shine, I’ve just tried to keep that going. And God’s
blessed me and put me in the right opportunities. I’m just sitting back and
wait and see what happens, because all I can do is stay in the best shape and
hopefully get a call."
Keep your eye on John Bowenkamp. He's just a phone call away from playing for an NFL team in 2007.