Stephen Bowen

Induction Year: 2018

Category: Football

Location: Half Hollow Hills

Stephen Bowen, a Half Hollow Hills West graduate, spent 10 seasons in the NFL; five with the Cowboys, four with the Redskins and one with his hometown Jets.

Bowen rose from undrafted free agent with the Cowboys to a key starter with Washington on its 2012 NFC East title team. Bowen started all 16 games in his first two years with Washington, including in 2012, before knee issues limited him to a combined 18 games in his final two seasons with the Redskins.

But he made an impact, serving as a team captain for their division-winning squad. Bowen, who played at Hofstra, was mostly a reserve in Dallas, starting 11 games. Nine of those starts were in 2010, prompting the Redskins to sign him as a free agent after the season.

Bowen and his wife lost their infant son Skyler in July 2011 to complications from a premature birth. That prompted Bowen to start Skyler’s Gift Foundation, designed to help families facing a similar tragedy. That same year, Bowen’s mother-in-law died. Despite this, Bowen started all 16 games and teammates voted him the Redskins’ recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award.

Bowen finished his career with 12.5 sacks, six coming in 2011. Today, Bowen works in operations for the NFL.