8/24/2001 - Football
Navy Linebacker Jake Bowen: On A Mission

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Posted by: Scott Strasemeier

Naval Academy linebacker Jake Bowen has experienced alot in his college career, a career that has been a little longer than the average Midshipmen.

Bowen came to the Naval Academy in the summer of 1996 after a standout career at T.C. Roberson High School in Asheville, N.C., where he lettered in football, wrestling and track. Bowen was an all-region performer in football and was the North Carolina State Wrestling Champion at 215 pounds his senior year.

Recruited by several high-profile football schools, such as Virginia Tech and Oregon, most of those schools backed off when they found out Jake was going to leave school after two years to go on a Mormon Mission.

"A lot of schools backed off of me when they found out I was going to go on a Mission," said Bowen. "Some of the schools didn't want to deal with having someone for two years and then having them go away for two years before coming back."

Only three schools continued to recruit Bowen-BYU, Air Force and the Naval Academy. BYU eventually backed off after recruiting a number of linebackers, which left Navy and Air Force.

"Not every Mormon kid goes to BYU," laughed Bowen. "I was really grateful for the opportunity to go to a service academy. I chose Navy because I love the location. This is such a beautiful area to live."

After spending a year on the plebe team in 1996, a year that saw Navy go 9-3 and defeat California, 42-38, in the Aloha Bowl, Bowen got his chance to play as a sophomore.

Despite having veteran linebackers Travis Cooley and Jason Coffey in front of him, Bowen played enough to earn a varsity letter for the 7-4 Midshipmen. Bowen recorded 15 tackles and recovered two fumbles as the Mids just missed going to consecutive bowl games for only the second time in school history.

"Those were great times," said Bowen. "Both of those teams were great football teams on both sides of the ball. We proved to people that Navy can win in football."

Bowen's football career was then put on hold for two years, as he left the Academy for a Mormon Mission in Maceio', Brazil. It was an experience that changed his life.

"It was a life-altering experience," said Bowen. "It really changed my priorities in life as far as what's important and what really isn't that important. I saw so many people over there that are poverty stricken, it made me appreciate what kind of life we have here in the United States."

During Bowen's two-year mission, he had little contact with his friend's back at the Academy. It would usually take more than two weeks for him to find out if Navy won or not in football.

"I wrote Jamie Doffermyre (captain of the '99 team) and he kept me informed on what was going on," said Bowen. "I was in a remote part of Brazil, and we didn't have any way to keep in touch with people except by writing letters."

Bowen returned to the Academy in the winter of '99, but not without reservations.

"It was a tough decision to come back to be honest with you," said Bowen. "I had so much freedom for two years and I wasn't looking forward to going back to the regimented lifestyle. The higher-ups in the Mormon Ministry really wanted me to come back to school. They wanted me to come back and get a degree from the Naval Academy. They thought it was important for me to finish what I started and in the end, I agreed with them. I am glad I made that decision."

Expectations were high heading into the 2000 season, but expectations were not met as Navy finished with a 1-10 record. Bowen had a solid season, starting all 11 games and finished second on the team with 72 tackles, including a career-high 12 against Temple.

"Last year was very disheartening," said Bowen. "It was emotionally challenging. We never reached our potential and we can't let that happen this year."

Bowen was surprised in the spring when the returning letterwinners picked him to be team captain, especially since he had only been a part of the senior class for just one year.

"I was shocked they picked me to be captain since I really wasn't part of this senior class," said Bowen. "It was a tremendous honor, the best thing that has happened to me so far at the Academy."

"Jake Bowen is a great, great leader," said Navy head football coach Charlie Weatherbie. "He is such a mature kid and the experience he got on his mission has carried over into his leadership abilities."

Bowen agrees with Weatherbie's assessment. "The mission has definitely helped me be a better captain," said Bowen. "The mission in Brazil was all about taking care of your people and the role of team captain is the same."

Bowen is excited about the 2001 season and thinks Navy will surprise a lot of people.

"It is always good to be the underdog," said Bowen. "We play a tough schedule but we like it like that. We are a bunch of fighters and we wouldn't have it any other way. If the team doesn't have fire in its belly after last season, they don't belong here."

Jake Bowen is on a mission again. A one-year mission to bring Navy football back to the prominence it had at the beginning of his career.