Career
Bowman began his professional career at Blackpool in 1896, making his debut in the club"s first-ever game in the Football League, a 3–1 defeat at Lincoln City on 5 September. His thirty league appearances in 1896-1897 made him an ever-present in the team He joined the following season where he gained a reputation as a strong, determined centre-half.
He went on to make one hundred league appearances for the club (plus thirteen in the ) in four years, helping them to the League titles in 1898-1899 and 1899-1800.
Bowman was also in the Villa side that lost a 1900 FA cup quarter final against Millwall Athletic that stunned the football world at the time. In 1901, Southern League champions, anxious to replace Arthur Chadwick, who had moved to Portsmouth, signed Bowman.
Although he never received full international honours, he represented the Anglo-Scots against the Scots in 1902. In 1904, he joined Chadwick at Portsmouth.
In five years at Fratton Park, he made a total of 144 appearances, scoring five goals.
He finished his career with Eastleigh Athletic in 1912. After retirement from football, he returned to his original trade as a boiler scaler, where he worked in Docks for many years.