Billy Bowman Jr.'s Father Reflects On Son’s Rise From Flag Football To OU Football Stardom

Billy Bowman Jr. has earned a reputation as one of the most electric players in college football.

When you lead the country in interception touchdowns, the NFL tends to come calling, but Billy felt like he had some unfinished business in Norman to attend to.

“Why rush the next stage of my life? It's going to be there. So coming back, having this time to spend with my teammates and things like that, it's why I came back,” Bowman said.

Bowman started his career in flag football- as a four-year-old. By age ten, he was already begging his dad to watch film with him so he could improve his skills.

His dad would coach him all the way through high school. Now, as he watches his son flourish on the national stage, Billy Bowman Sr. still sees that joyful little kid every time the Sooners take the field. 

"Just seeing him going out and enjoying it, that's- excuse me," Bowman Sr. said, holding back tears. "Just his passion. His ambition. His love for it. That is what excites me because he is having fun. He absolutely LOVES the game."

Billy has always had contagious energy, leading by example. Now, as he guides the Sooner defense into SEC country, he’s finding his voice. 

"When he speaks, people listen, because he doesn't speak very much. So, when he speaks, people listen. People always followed him. Through elementary, through middle school, through high school, Billy didn't talk much. He wanted to go play and he wanted to go prove himself on the field. And people would follow. Now, he speaks up, and people listen," Bowman Sr. said.

Billy has already built a legacy on OU's Owen Field, but it’s his growth off the field that his parents admire most. 

"His faith in God, that is what I am most proud of. The man he is becoming. I always ask him to be better. Be better than me, be better than the day before. Just be better."