| Defensive back | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: April 24, 1944 | |
| Place of birth: Birmingham, Alabama | |
| Career information | |
| College: Michigan | |
| NFL Draft: 1967 / Round: 3 / Pick: 78 | |
| No regular season or postseason appearances | |
| Career history | |
| * Green Bay Packers (1967–1969) | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
* NFL champion (1967)
| |
| Games played | 127 |
| Games started | 79 |
| Interceptions | 26 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
John Felix Rowser (born April 24, 1944) was an American football player, a defensive back in the National Football League for ten seasons with the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Denver Broncos.
In his rookie season, he was a member of the Packers' Super Bowl II championship team, Vince Lombardi's last title. He played college football at the University of Michigan as a cornerback and halfback, from 1963 to 1966.
Early years[]
Born in Birmingham, Alabama,[1] Rowser attended Eastern High School in Detroit, Michigan.[2][3]
College career[]
Rowser enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1962 and played college football for head coach Bump Elliott from 1963 to 1966.[2] As a senior, he started all 10 games at cornerback and three games at left halfback for the 1966 Michigan Wolverines football team that compiled a 6–4 record, outscored opponents 236–138, and finished in third place in the Big Ten Conference.[4] Used principally on defense, he gained only 82 yards on 24 carries (3.4 yards per carry) as an offensive player.[5]
Professional career[]
Rowser was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the third round (78th overall pick) of the 1967 NFL/AFL draft.[1] He signed with the Packers in March 1967,[6] and appeared in 42 regular season games for the Packers from 1967 through 1969 including the Super Bowl II victory over the Oakland Raiders in his rookie season.[1]
In March 1970, the Packers traded Rowser to Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for tight end John Hilton.[7] Rowser played for the Steelers for four years from 1970 to 1973, appearing in 47 games, including 42 as the team's starting left cornerback.[1]
In 1974, Rowser joined the Denver Broncos. He remained with the Broncos for three seasons from 1974 to 1976, appearing in 38 games, including 37 games as a starter at the left cornerback (1974) and free safety (1975–1976) positions.[1] Rowser cleared waivers and was released by the Broncos in June 1977.[8]
During his decade in the NFL, Rowser appeared in 127 games, 79 as a starter, and intercepted 26 passes for 444 return yards and four touchdowns. He also recovered six fumbles.[1] He missed, by one year, the Steelers' and Broncos' Super Bowl appearances.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "John Rowser". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/RowsJo20.htm. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "All-Time Football Roster Database". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. http://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/rosters/football.php. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
- ↑ "Frenchy Rambles With Words, Too". The Pittsburgh Press: p. 35. November 21, 1971. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19711112&id=PawpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mlAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5221,4826549&hl=en.
- ↑ "1966 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. http://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1966fbt.htm. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Michigan Football Statistic Archive Query Page". University of Michigan. Archived from the original on November 12, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20071112175906/http://stats.ath.umich.edu/football/footstart.php. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ↑ "Green Bay signs John Rowser". Toledo Blade. Associated Press (Ohio): p. 31. March 31, 1967. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19670331&id=jv1OAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gQEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2070,1549398&hl=en.
- ↑ "Packers Trade John Rowser". The Spokesman-Review (AP story): p. 2. March 1, 1970. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19700301&id=1rMyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YOsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3464,739001&hl=en.
- ↑ "Broncos drop Lyon, Rowser". Southeast Missourian (AP story): p. 12. June 7, 1977. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1893&dat=19770531&id=W_EhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XNUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3294,4610087&hl=en.
External links[]
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com • Pro-Football-Reference • Databasefootball.com
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