By By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
PLYMOUTH — Charles Bowser is tackling his goals much like he did quarterbacks and running backs during his NFL career — with serious passion.
Bowser, who played for the Miami Dolphins from 1982-85, is returning to his hometown of Plymouth this weekend to host the Second Charles Bowser NFL Youth Football Camp.
Football players, from age 7 to 18, will participate in the camp. It will be held Friday and Saturday at Plymouth High School.
Bowser enjoyed a successful career with the Plymouth Vikings, where he played for Mac Allen. He helped guide the Vikings to a conference championship during his senior season, before capping his prep career by playing in the 1977 Shrine Bowl.
He still fondly recalls one game against Tarboro.
While he was proud of his Plymouth teams, Bowser is still excited for the 2007 team that won the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Class 1-A state championship. The Vikings beat North Duplin, 20-13, to cap off a perfect 16-0 season. Bowser was in Carter-Finley Stadium watching the Vikings win their first state championship in any sport.
After a solid high school career, Bowser went on to have success at Duke. He played with the Blue Devils from 1978-81. Bowser still owns the single-season sack record at Duke, recording 17 1/2 sacks in his senior season.
Bowser was selected in the fourth round with the 108th overall pick by the Dolphins in the 1982 NFL Draft. The 6-3, 231-pound linebacker, who finished with 20 career sacks, went on to play in two Super Bowls with Miami.
Bowser played in 42 games in his four seasons. He was a part of a ferocious defense, nicknamed the “Killer Bs,” that was relentless on opposing offenses. Bowser played with such former greats as Doug Betters, Bob Baumhower, Kim Bokamper, Lyle Blackwood, Glenn Blackwood and Bob Brudzinski.
Bowser played in nine games and finished with two sacks in his rookie season of 1982, where the Dolphins lost, 27-17, to the Washington Redskins in the Super Bowl.
He played in all 16 of Miami’s games in 1983, recording 6.5 sacks. The Dolphins lost in the first round of the playoffs.
Bowser had his best season in 1984, when the Dolphins fell, 38-16, to the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl. He recorded nine sacks and a fumble recovery.
His season, and career, was cut short by injury in 1985 after playing two games during the 1986 season. Bowser came up with 2.5 sacks in those two games.
Bowser, who said his proudest NFL moment was starting in the 1985 Super Bowl against the 49ers, still cherishes playing in those two Super Bowl games.
While he played on defense, a few of his teammates on the offensive side stand out to Bowser.
Duper, who was drafted by the Dolphins in the same year as Bowser, will help out his former teammate during the camp in Plymouth. Duper, a three-time Pro Bowl player who went by “Super Duper,” finished his 11-year career with 511 receptions for 8,869 yards and 59 touchdowns.
Bowser still cherishes being a member of the Miami Dolphins.
He said it was the Dolphins who offered him the opportunity to host the youth football camp.
Bowser said the camp wouldn’t be possible without other sponsors, such as the Weyerhaeuser Company and Feyer Ford, and the support of Plymouth’s high school coaches and Washington County recreation members.
Along with the football camp, a pair of Miami Dolphins cheerleaders will be in Plymouth on Friday to help cap off a week-long cheerleading camp.
Bowser also helps to host a basketball camp in Plymouth, which is held the first weekend in August. Gene Banks is a special guest.
Bank was a 6-7 forward for the Duke Blue Devils. He was named the ACC Rookie of the Year in 1978, and was a three-time team MVP.
Banks, who averaged 16.8 points per game in his career at Duke, went on to play six seasons in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls.
Bowser encouraged fans to watch the football camp from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Plymouth High School. Bowser and Duper will sign autographs and have their pictures taken with fans following the camp.