If you listened to a Fighting Camels football game on the radio last year, or watched it live online, odds are you heard Andy Bowman assisting the call as the color commentator. This was a unique role for the pharmacy professor at Campbell University to fill, but it gave Dr. Bowman, a 1993 PharmD graduate, the chance to break into sports broadcasting.
This fall, Bowman will once again join Campbell’s radio team in a new role as a sideline reporter during home football games.
“I loved being in the booth last year, but I think I am going to really enjoy being on the sidelines as well,” Bowman said. “Chris Hemeyer, voice of the Camels, really wanted to enhance our broadcasts, and it is a good way for me to be involved since traveling to away games is a challenge as a full-time faculty member.”
Bowman’s interest in broadcasting dates back to his childhood when he would pretend to be on the radio. But a stronger interest in science led him to pursue his doctor of pharmacy degree at Campbell. After graduating in 1993, Bowman returned to his hometown in Roanoke, Va., to work for Kroger as a staff pharmacist.
A few years into his career, Bowman was invited to answer patients’ pharmacy-related questions on a local radio show. “The opportunity came out of the blue,” he said. “The program was well utilized by callers in the Roanoke area, and was soon known as, ‘Ask Andy.’” The show ran for about five years.
In 2000, Bowman returned to Campbell as a faculty member in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and was also named the director of continuing education. Several years later, he was asked to participate on a call-in radio show in Fayetteville answering patient’s questions live on the air. It was another success, and lasted more than four years.
Fast-forward to fall 2011, when Chris Hemeyer was searching for a color commentator. With Bowman’s radio experience and love for the game, he was asked to assist the play-by-play announcer in the booth.
“Was I nervous before the first game? Absolutely,” Bowman said. “But after the broadcast, I had people ask me, are you sure you’ve never done that before?”
Bowman says he and his brother, Dan, watched so much football over the years, it should be illegal. An avid sports fan, he played football from fourth grade through high school, and Bowman and his father, John, were football season ticket holders at Virginia Tech for nearly 20 years.
“It has been great serving my alma mater in a completely different way,” Bowman said.
Last year, Campbell’s football team had its first winning season, ending with a record of 6-5. As they start the fifth season, Bowman believes the team is capable of duplicating that performance.
The team is returning with senior Braden Smith, who Bowman says is an outstanding leader with strong passing skills and the ability to run as well. Offensively, the Camels return with a solid core of receivers, and defensively, the team should be improved with numerous starters from 2011. Other seniors to watch are Brandon Chandler, Steth Monroe, Paul Pizzuti and of course Sam Eberwein, the team’s kicker who is also a second-year pharmacy student.
Listen to Dr. Bowman and the entire broadcast team this season on 107.3 FM in Fayetteville, or live online at gocamels.com.
Pictured: Pharmacy on the field…As Campbell University’s football team gears up for their fifth season, Dr. Andy Bowman, faculty member and 1993 PharmD graduate, and Sam Eberwein, second-year pharmacy student, will be on-hand for the action.