Schwartz: Jets DE Stephen Bowen Lends A Hand At Long Island Youth Football Camp

By Peter Schwartz
» More Columns

Growing up on Long Island, Stephen Bowen always hoped that he could attend a camp where he could learn from NFL players.  So when the former Half Hollow Hills West High School star had a chance to give youngsters of today that opportunity, he jumped at the chance.

Last week, the Jets' defensive end was at Boomer Esiason's Empire Challenge High School All-Star game at Hofstra, a game that Bowen played in before going on to play college football in that very same stadium.  He ran into Rich "Big Daddy" Salgado, who invited him to be a guest instructor at his youth football camp this week at the Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale.

"He asked me to come out to the camp, and said I would love to be a part of it," said Bowen. "Growing up, I would love to have had something like this where you learn drills and the ins and outs of football."

Bowen was on the field with the kids Monday night for the two-and-a-half-hour session.  He helped the campers with drills and was more than happy to answer any questions that the youngsters had.  At the end of the session, Bowen spoke with the campers as a group and delivered some poignant messages.

The most important one was focusing on education.

"You don't want to have any regrets in life," said Bowen, who told the kids a story about a meeting he once had with his teacher and parents about an issue with his grades.

He wasn't about to let that situation linger.

"When you're going to school, get good grades and do whatever you have to do," he said.

Bowen worked hard in high school both on and off the field, and was able to earn a scholarship to play football at Hofstra. Being on the field for pregame ceremonies at the Empire Challenge brought him back to his former playground.

"It was really special," said Bowen. "There were a lot of good times and a lot of great teammates."

Bowen was a three-year starter with the Pride and finished his Hofstra career with 168 tackles, 11.5 sacks and an interception that was returned for a touchdown.  He was not taken in the 2006 NFL Draft but signed as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys. At the time, they had an assistant coach named Todd Bowles, now the head coach of the Jets.

In 2009, near the end of his fourth NFL season, Bowen received some unfortunate news. On December 2 of that year, Hofstra President Stuart Rabinowitz pulled the plug on the football program.

A school that had produced NFL players like Bowen, Wayne Chrebet, Willie Colon and Marques Colston would no longer be playing college football.

"It really does hurt me, especially the way that they went about it," said Bowen. "It's like they almost erased my whole history. A lot of us still stay in contact with each other and that's how we keep it going."

Bowen is now entering his 10th NFL season. After five years with the Cowboys and four seasons with the Redskins, Bowen realized a childhood dream this past March when he signed as a free agent with the Jets.

"You watch guys like Curtis Martin, Mo Lewis and guys like thatm and you want to be those guys," said Bowen. "I'm fortunate that I'm able to play with the home team, and I'm very blessed."

Bowen was brought in to give the Jets some depth on their defensive line.  During his career he has amassed 168 tackles and 12.5 sacks, and joins a squad that has a chance to be special.  But Bowen believes that the Jets can be about more than just defense.

He thinks the entire squad is strong.

"We have all the talent," said Bowen. "The whole team -- offense, defense -- we have all the talent. We have to go out there and execute."

Bowen certainly had the attention of the kids on Monday night when he spoke at the camp.  Had he had his wish, he would have been one of those kids years ago when he was getting his feet wet with football.

With regards to the sport that he loves, his message was simple.

"Whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability," said Bowen.  "You don't ever want to leave anything on the field."

Bowen was terrific with the campers both during the drills and during his speech.  Each and every child had their eyes on him and listened to every word he had to say. After all, if you're a young football player, wouldn't you want to listen to someone who has reached the highest level that the sport has to offer?

The Big Daddy Youth Football Camp continues on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale.  For more information, go to www.bigdaddyfootball.com.

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @pschwartzcbsfan.  You can also follow the Big Daddy Youth Football Camp @BDYouthFBCamp.