SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Former Minnesota State University Moorhead wrestling standout Bob Bowlsby was honored at the NCAA National Convention as part of the NCAA's Division II 40th Anniversary on Thursday night.
A total of 48 former student-athletes were honored by the NCAA throughout the 2013 season as part of the DII 40th Anniversary.
A native of Waterloo, Iowa, Bowlsby is currently the commissioner of the Big 12 Conference, a post he was named to in May 2012. Bowlsby wrestled at MSUM from 1972-75 and was a four-year letterwinner. He was a team captain during his senior year and also won the NIC title at 167 pounds that year.
Bowlsby, a 1975 MSUM graduate, is a 1998 Dragon Sports Hall of Fame Inductee.
"I am very honored to have been selected as a member of the Division II 40th Anniversary Tribute Team representing Minnesota State University Moorhead," Bowlsby said regarding the honor. "My time on the MSUM campus was transformative. Much of what I know about leadership, commitment and hard work found roots during my four years in Moorhead. In addition, I met and married my wife, Candice, and our 35-year marriage has allowed me to return to Moorhead frequently to visit family and to reconnect with friends and teammates. I am deeply in debt to the university and to the fine faculty and staff who helped me grow from an 18-year old adolescent into a 22-year old adult. I could not have enjoyed a better experience than wrestling and studying at MSUM."
At MSUM, Bowlsby also served a year as Father Owl, head of the Old Order of the Owls fraternity. It's the oldest and only fraternity left at MSUM.
"That's where I made some of the best friends of my life," he said in the NCAA release. "And, as Father Owl, I suppose, I learned, at least tried to learn, how to lead a group of rough and tumble athletes. It was certainly interesting training for what I do now."
"This group of former student-athletes is meant to reflect the core values of Division II athletics," said Josh Looney, associate director of Division II. "Commissioners have helped identify a diverse group of championship individuals from Division II's 40-year history. Not only did these former student-athletes act as champions in athletics and in the classroom, they've gone on to live championship lives as well."
