When North Dakota State cornerback Richard Bowman felt his body go numb on a hit in the first game of last season, he knew exactly what had happened – he just never knew how serious it could be.

In that game against Stephen F. Austin, Bowman felt his head hit the ground and ricochet back up after a teammate knocked into him trying to tackle the same receiver. 

“I felt my body go numb, and everything seemed so slow,” said Bowman.  “I saw some guys around me, but I couldn’t reach out a hand or doing anything to have the guys help me up.”

Bowman, a native of Houston, Texas, had experienced the same feeling on a hit as a sophomore in high school. 

“I wasn’t afraid, because in high school I was only out for one week and then I was back playing football,” said Bowman.  “They made some adjustments to my shoulder pads and told me couldn’t suffer from anything permanently.”

After about five minutes of being down on the field this time, Bowman’s feeling came back, along with stingers in his arms, but he was able to walk to the sideline with help from the trainers.  But, when the doctor ran tests on Bowman, it was clear that he would not return for the next game.

“He told me that it was a blessing that I wasn’t paralyzed and God has been watching over me since day one,” said Bowman.  “I was born with spine condition called spinal stenosis, which is basically the narrowing of the spinal canal.  I didn’t have spinal fluid flowing through the cervical area of my spinal canal, so there is no cushioning.  Whenever I suffer any type of impact, my spinal cord hits the canal and that’s what cause me to be immobilized, and causes the stingers in my arms.”

The doctor told Bowman that he would need surgery to fix the problem if he wanted to continue playing football, or he could give up the sport.

“It scared me a lot to think about spine surgery, because that can make you or break you,” said Bowman. “At the same time, I didn’t want to give up my football career that easily.  I have a great deal of passion for football, and it was so unbelievable it could end just like that.”

Bowman sought guidance through prayer, and the support of his family and friends, and a month following the injury he underwent surgery to widen the spinal canal in his neck.  The surgeons put cadaver bones and titanium plates in the cervical area to widen it, which has allowed spinal fluid to flow normally.

After a four-day stay in the hospital, Bowman was extremely limited over the next six weeks.  He wore a neck collar at all times, could not drive, missed four weeks of school, and worst of all, had to take it easy.

“It was hard for me, because I’m used to being active,” said Bowman. 

However, the surgery worked and he had no pain.  Bowman hoped he would be released to play spring football in April, but doctors were extra cautious and held him out from contact, allowing him to run and do strength and conditioning drills.

Bowman first returned to field during preseason camp, and although he admits an anxious feeling the night before the team donned full pads for the first time, he was calm when practice started.

“When I got on the football field, I didn’t think about it, because I knew if I thought about it, I would hesitate,” said Bowman.  “If I did hesitate, and someone came at me with full momentum, it could cause me to get hurt again.  I don’t want to be passive on the football field, because I could end up getting hurt even worse than before.”

Being actively involved with the team again is very fulfilling for Bowman, not only because he can play, but also because his teammates are so important to him.

“It’s very exciting, because I didn’t feel a part of the team last year since I couldn’t contribute,” said Bowman. 

Bowman, who started in his sophomore year, has played in all four of the Bison’s games, and ranks sixth on the team with 15 tackles this season.

“In the first game, it seemed like everything was moving so fast,” said Bowman.  “I felt like I was a rookie again.  After that, everything slowed down and I got used to it again.”

North Dakota State (2-2, 0-1 MVFC) is scheduled to host Southern Illinois University (2-1, 1-0 MVFC) in a Missouri Valley Football Conference game at 1:07 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, in the Fargodome.