Cowboys receiver recovers his life

For 13 months, he was afraid those decisions - which became felonies when, in February 2009, police officers searched his home - would ruin his life irreparably.

The wide receiver was booted from the Oklahoma State football team. He worked out on his own, in basketball courts in back yards, and worried himself sick.

Were he convicted of his charges - felony possession with intent to distribute 108 grams of marijuana; misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, and of Xanax, Ephedrine and an anabolic steroid called Stanozolol - Bowling would have likely served years in prison.

"I didn't think I'd be here," he said Monday, wearing OSU colors and preparing for Wednesday's Alamo Bowl against the Arizona Wildcats. "But at the same time, I kept believing I would be."

Bowling is the team's third-leading receiver despite not rejoining it until June.

The arrest saw him exiled from football for all the 2009 season, returning only after meeting face to face with coach Mike Gundy and OSU athletic director Mike Holder and agreeing to be a walk-on.

Were it not for the sport he loved, Bowling said, there wouldn't have been much to hope for between February 2009 and March 2010, when his charges were reduced to misdemeanors. As part of a plea deal, he served 15 days in county jail and community service.

In an ugly situation, the chance to play again was his lone bright spot. He paid his way through school just to stay eligible.

"That belief, and that hope, to get back on this team was the force that was driving me to stay out of trouble," said Bowling, whose eyes watered Monday thinking of his past. "To stay straight, be a better person.

"I made changes in my life because I knew I wanted to play football."

Bowling was reinstated, in part because quarterback Brandon Weeden and running back Kendall Hunter met with Gundy.

"I knew what a good guy he was," Weeden said. "He just made a bad decision."

At first, Bowling didn't appear to be the same receiver that appeared in 10 games in 2008 after transferring from Northeast Oklahoma A&M. He hadn't run a route or caught a college pass in more than a year.

After playing him at outside receiver, offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen moved him to the slot after three games.

"It took him a month or two," Holgorsen said. "And then it took me another month on top of that for me to identify it."

That moment can be traced to one game - Oct. 30 against Kansas State, when star wideout Justin Blackmon was suspended after being arrested on suspicion of DUI.

Bowling, a 23-year-old senior, caught eight passes for 92 yards. The next week, he had nine catches for 101 yards.

All told, the final five games of the season produced 26 of his 33 receptions this year, as well as 304 of his 402 receiving yards.

"Being a part of this team, having a role in the season we had, was unbelievable," he said.

Holgorsen, who once tutored pro wideouts Wes Welker and Danny Amendola, even said he could see Bowling fighting for an NFL job one day.

He called Bowling, preparing for his last college game, "one of the greatest kids on our team."

Bowling warns his teammates not to repeat his mistakes and to enjoy the moment.

"I tell guys all the time, it's not worth not getting on the field," he said. "We're blessed to be in this opportunity we have.

"You've got to take advantage of it."

ALAMO BOWL

• What: Arizona (7-5) vs. Oklahoma State (10-2)

• When: 7:15 p.m. Wednesday

• TV, radio: ESPN, 1290-AM, 1490-AM, 107.5-FM