Background and career
NaVorro Roderick Bowman (born May 28, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He most recently served as the linebackers coach for the Los Angeles Chargers. Bowman played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Oakland Raiders.
Bowman was born in District Heights, Maryland on May 28, 1988. He started sports at a young age and was a member of District Heights boys and girls club, where he played both basketball and football and was invited to many All-star Events. Bowman was a standout player at Suitland High School in Suitland, Maryland. He missed most of his senior season with a shoulder injury, but had a very impressive junior campaign in which he recorded 165 tackles, nine sacks, and three fumble recoveries as a linebacker and ran for 1,200 yards and 22 touchdowns as a running back. Bowman was named the Maryland Defensive Player-of-the-Year, first-team All-State, Washington Post first-team All-Met and first-team All-Conference. He was recruited to Penn State by Larry Johnson, Sr.
Bowman played for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team while attending Pennsylvania State University from 2006 to 2009. After redshirting the 2006 season, Bowman played in nine games in 2007. He missed two games due to a sprained ankle suffered in a game against Illinois. Bowman finished the season with 16 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, a blocked kick, and a pass deflection. Bowman saw increased playing time in 2008, largely due to the graduation of All-American linebacker Dan Connor and injury to presumptive starter Sean Lee. Despite the attrition, however, Bowman kept the Nittany Lions ranked in the top ten among three primary defensive categories. Individually, he led the Nittany Lions in total tackles (106), solos (61), and assisted tackles (45), was second in tackles for loss (16.5) and tied for third in sacks (4.0). Bowman also forced two fumbles, recovered a fumble, grabbed an interception and had five pass deflections. Bowman finished the season with a heavy heart and an outstanding performance. He played against Southern California in the 2009 Rose Bowl the day after his high school coach, Nick Lynch, was killed in an automobile accident in Maryland. Bowman responded by breaking the school's bowl record with five tackles for loss (minus-21 yards), and tying the Rose Bowl record set by Ohio State's Andy Katzenmoyer in the 1997 game. Bowman also recorded his fourth sack of the season among his eight tackles (seven solo) against the Trojans. For his superb efforts against USC, Bowman was selected to ESPN.com's 2008–09 All-Bowl team, one of two Big Ten players named to the squad. At the end of the season, Bowman was named a first-team All-Big Ten selection.
Maryland Defensive PoY (2005) Maryland All-State (2005) Washington Post All-Met (2005) Big Ten Defensive PoW (September 20, 2008), (November 14, 2009) All-Big Ten (2008)
On January 4, 2010, Bowman's mother announced his decision to forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility and enter the 2010 NFL draft.
On the second day of the 2010 NFL draft, Bowman was selected in the third round (91st overall) by the San Francisco 49ers. Bowman played in all 16 games in 2010, starting one in place of Patrick Willis, who was ruled out for Week 17 after undergoing a second surgery on his broken right hand. Bowman finished his rookie year with 46 tackles.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
