In 1947 Adrian Bowen was the quarterback and defensive back on a Pam Pack football team that finished the season with a perfect 10-0 record. On Friday, both Bowen and the ’47 football team will be enshrined in the Washington Walk of Fame along with running back Travis and softball star Charity Watson during halftime of the Pam Pack’s football game against Beddingfield.
Bowen, who graduated WHS in 1949, played football, basketball and baseball and said he was happy to be included with the other Pam Pack legends.
“It’s a great honor,” Bowen said. “I spent a lot of happy times there and had a lot of fun playing with some really great guys. I’m honored and I appreciate it very much.”
During his time at WHS Bowen embodied leadership as he was co-captain of the football team, captain of the basketball team and was also the student body president.
In his senior year, Bowen made the all-tournament team as a basketball player, hit .330 playing first base on the baseball team and was selected to play in the East-West football game as a defensive back.
As sophomore, Bowen, a guard, helped guide the basketball team to the 1946-47 state title game, where the Pam Pack would finish the season as state runners up.
“That was a very good year, we had a really good basketball team,” Bowen said. “We had a very experienced team. It was a real exciting time.”
Bowen would go on to play basketball at Davidson for one year before enlisting in the Navy.
In 1955 Bowen married Jean Oliveira and the couple would go on to have two daughters and now have four grandchildren.
In the fall of 1947, Bowen, along with Benny Ellington, John C. Tayloe, “Doc” Smith, Shep Grist, Jack Sowers, Jimmie Hill, Hallet Ward, Buddy Stowe, Lee Cooper, W.T. Hough, Alvin Peele, Cicero Abeyounis, Waverly Chesson, J.R. Brown, Shain Jefferies, Seth Cherry, Harry Creekmuir, Lee Knott, James Lupton, Brad Morton, Jim Hodges, Jimmie Pinkham, Henry Moore and Clarence Williams helped J.G. Wagner-coached Pam Pack football team go 10-0.
There was no playoff structure then, but the Pack had the right makeup to go far.
“I think if there was a playoffs we would have done pretty well,” Bowen said. “We could run the ball really well and we had a really good offensive line and we just came together. We just really had a lot of grit and fortitude.”