Sept. 18, 2009

UW-River Falls’ Rick Bowen will be inducted into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Hall of Fame on Oct. 3.

“I’m very humbled by all of this,” said Bowen. “It’s a tremendous honor to be voted into the Hall of Fame by my peers. The WBCA takes a look at an entire program - where UWRF was, the facilities and what a team has been able to accomplish. I’m very proud of all that we’ve been able to do here.”

Taking over a basketball program that averaged seven wins a season the past 32 years, he quickly changed the basketball culture at UWRF becoming the school’s all-time winning coach in the seventh season. In the 97 years UW-River Falls has played basketball, Bowen’s 265 wins represent one out of every five wins in Falcon history.

“Rick’s induction into the Hall of Fame is a greatly deserved honor,” said Jeff Berkhof, who played for and was an assistant coach during Bowen’s tenure. “He is very well known and respected throughout the basketball circles in the state of Wisconsin. I have been fortunate to have played for him and have him as a mentor during my coaching career.” Berkhof is the current men’s basketball coach at UWRF and he played for the Falcons from 1992-94.

In the 2003-04 season, UW-River Falls ended a 54-year drought by winning its first WIAC championship since the 1954 season. Bowen was named WIAC Coach of the Year and the NCAA West Region Coach of the Year. In 2008, the National Association of Basketball Coaches awarded Bowen the NABC National Service Award.

The last five years of his tenure, Bowen served in the combined role of basketball coach and athletic director. Upon his retirement from coaching, he became the full-time athletic director at UW-River Falls.

Bowen introduced the concept of a WIAC post-season basketball tournament to the conference, playing a key role in starting one of the WIAC’s signature events.

Bowen graduated from Bremen High School (Indiana) in 1962 and Indiana University in 1966. At Indiana, he was a student manager for the Hoosiers under two time national champion coach, Branch McCracken. In 1966, Bowen began his career accepting a teaching and coaching position in Nappanee, Ind., coaching freshmen basketball, football and JV baseball. His career was interrupted when he was drafted into the United States Army in July of 1967. He served in the United States Army from 1967-69 serving a year in Vietnam, as a medic with the 9th Infantry Division. On his return from Vietnam, he was assigned to the 2nd Armor Division at Fort Hood, Texas. After being honorably discharged in 1969, Bowen spent the next 12 years as a high school coach at four Indiana high schools.

Bowen went from the high school to the collegiate ranks in 1979 accepting an assistant coaching position at Ball State University. At Ball State the team won a Mid-American Conference Championship. He followed Coach Steve Yoder from Ball State to the University of Wisconsin, staying until he was named the 17th head coach at UW-River Falls in 1986.

Bowen has been married to Sandy, whom he met at Indiana University, for 43 years. They have two sons: Michael and his wife, Pam, who own Bowen’s Garage and Goodyear in River Falls. Matthew followed in his dad’s footsteps beginning his career as an Indiana basketball manager under Bob Knight. He is currently the head basketball coach at Bemidji State University. Matt and his wife, Ashli, have two daughters; Addison, 2 and McKenzi, 7.