Bob Cowan
No. 17, 80 | |||||
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Position: | Halfback | ||||
Personal information | |||||
Born: | Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S. | January 2, 1923||||
Died: | January 20, 2004 Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S. | (aged 81)||||
Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||
Weight: | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||
Career information | |||||
High school: | North Side (Fort Wayne, Indiana) | ||||
College: | Indiana | ||||
NFL draft: | 1945 / Round: 12 / Pick: 111 | ||||
Career history | |||||
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Career highlights and awards | |||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Player stats at PFR |
Robert George Cowan (January 2, 1923 – January 20, 2004) was an
Cowan was a standout track and football athlete at his Fort Wayne, Indiana high school. He attended Indiana University and starred as a halfback for two years, interrupted by service in the Army Air Force during World War II. Cowan joined the Browns in 1947, when the team won the AAFC championship. Cleveland won all of its games in 1948 and beat the Buffalo Bills in the championship game. Cowan was sent to the Colts for the 1949 season, but he was slowed by a knee injury and left the game a year later. He became a high school principal in Fort Wayne after his playing career.
High school and college career
Cowan grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana and was a star athlete at the city's North Side High School.[1] He failed to place first just once in the 220-yard dash during his high school track career. Cowan came in second in his only loss at a state track meet in his sophomore year.[1] He had times of 9.9 seconds in the 100-yard dash, under 22 seconds in the 220 and 49 seconds in the 440.[1] Cowan's football team lost only twice in four years at North Side.[1] The team went unbeaten in his senior year, and Cowan broke a state high school scoring record with 155 points playing as a right halfback.[1]
Cowan attended Indiana University starting in 1941.[1] He became the football team's starting right halfback in the middle of the following year, his sophomore season.[1] Cowan also played basketball at Indiana, and was spotted during a state tournament in 1941 by Blanton Collier, who went on to become an assistant coach for the Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC).[1]
Cowan joined the
Professional career
Cowan was selected by the
Cowan returned to the Browns in 1948. The team won all of its games that year, beating the
Later life and death
Cowan returned to Fort Wayne after his playing career and became a high school principal.[6] ·He retired from the Fort Wayne Community Schools as Personnel Director after 30 years of service.[8] He died in 2004.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Sauerbrei, Harold (August 3, 1947). "Paul Brown Finds Out About Cowan". Cleveland Plain Dealer. Bowling Green, O. p. 19.
- ^ "Air Base Courtiers Expect Much Trouble With Utes Saturday Night". The Deseret News. February 10, 1944. p. 10. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
- ^ Piascik 2007, p. 81.
- ^ Piascik 2007, p. 121.
- ^ Sauerbrei, Harold (November 8, 1948). "Browns Subdue Colts, 28-7; Twelfth Straight League Victory Sets Record". Cleveland Plain Dealer. p. 21.
- ^ a b Hickey, William (December 3, 1965). "This Sporting Life". Cleveland Plain Dealer. p. 37.
- ^ "Bob Cowan NFL Football Statistics". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on November 12, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
- ^ ""Obituary" Robert G. Cowan, 2004".
- ^ ""United States Social Security Death Index," Robert G Cowan, 2004". Familysearch.org. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
Bibliography
- Piascik, Andy (2007). The Best Show in Football: The 1946–1955 Cleveland Browns. Lanham, MD: Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58979-571-6.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference