Bowen was one of the most outstanding high school basketball players in Pennsylvania history. He scored 2, 884 points (25.5 avg.) at Warren High School, which is still the eighth highest among boys in the state, and he grabbed 2, 163 rebounds (19. 1 avg.) a Pennsylvania record. He was the centerpiece of the historic 1983 Warren Dragon basketball team that defeated Cathedral Prep that won its first-ever District 10 basketball title. Bowen earned first-team all-state honors twice, and was listed among the top 50 recruits in the nation. He played 27 games at Notre Dame before transferring to William & Mary. He then went to Gannon and played on the 1986-87 Knights team that finished as the NCAA Div. II runner-op. At Gannon, he averaged 15.0 points and 11.8 rebounds his senior season, and ranks in the top 10 all-time with a 9.7 rebound average and .532 shooting percentage. He competed in two National Championship Games during his college career — one at Gannon in 1987 Division 2 National Finals and one at Notre Dame in 1984 NIT Finals. He played for more than a year touring with the Washington Generals, the opponent of the Harlem Globetrotters. His coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Bethany College, and he was 6-1 as the interim head coach in 1994. He coached three years at Strong Vincent and four years at Central and was named the Metro League coach of the year in 2001. He also was an outstanding baseball pitcher for three years at Warren, and led the team in batting all three seasons. He pitched for Notre Dame and Gannon. He pitched professionally for the Erie Orioles, and nine years in the Glenwood League.
