National Football Foundation

Position: Linebacker
Years: 1968-1970
Place of Birth: Colorado City, TX
Date of Birth: Feb 11, 1949
Jersey Number: 10
Height: 5-11
Weight: 185
High School: Snyder, TX (Snyder HS)

At 5-11, 185-pounds, Murry Bowden was an undersized, yet strong linebacker whose quickness made him perfect as a roverback in Dartmouth's 5-2-4 defense. His penchant for being all over the field supporting the run, or defending the pass, earned him the title of the "Reckless Rover." Bowden was as likely to be found at the line making a tackle for a loss, or deep in the secondary making an interception. His hard-hitting style resulted in both knee and shoulder injuries that required him to wear a specially designed brace to keep his shoulder in place. During his junior and senior seasons, the Big Green won the Ivy League title, the first two of an eventual string of five consecutive Ivy crowns. His team's record for those two years was 17-1. The undefeated 1970 team was the last Ivy League school to be rated among the nation's top 20 teams placing 13th and 14th in the two polls. That season the Dartmouth defense ranked in the nation's top ten in seven statistical categories including first in scoring defense and second in total defense. After graduation he returned to his native Texas to begin a successful business career.