The College of New Jersey Athletics

After earning a spot in the Lions’ lineup in 2004, Jeff Bower has helped provide the defense with a spark. In 2004, he appeared in seven games and finished with 9 tackles and a pass breakup. As a follow-up to his performance, Bower emerged as an all-star, earning 2005 NJAC All-Star Honorable Mention status at cornerback after finishing the year ranked second in the NJAC in passes defended. With 16 breakups and an interception, Bower averaged 1.9 passes defended per game and was ranked No. 6 in Division III in the final statistics.

He was part of the Lions’ defense that ranked nationally as well. The Lions allowed just 96.0 yards per game rushing (No. 21) and only 285.5 yards per game of total offense (No. 37).

In his third season as a starter at corner, Bower added 24 tackles with a team-best six pass breakups.
He helped the Lions earn acclaim for their defensive play in 2006 as they ranked among the national statistical leaders in several categories. TCNJ ranked 26 in team total defense (247.9 ypg), 43rd in rushing defense (96.6 ypg), and 10th in sacks per game (3.3) and 23rd in opponent fumbles recovered (13).

On his career, Bower now has 79 tackles with 23 pass breakups in 26 games played and is hoping to parlay the success of his previous seasons into some bigger numbers this fall. A graduate student this fall, Bower will be matched up against the top receivers in the NJAC every week. He should also be a key performer for the Lions’ special team’s unit this season as well.

A graduate of Wall High School, Bower earned All-Shore honors in both football and wrestling and guided his gridiron team to two divisional titles and a state championship. Also excelling in wrestling, his team earned four division championships, Bower was an honor roll student in the classroom as well. He is the son of Doug Brower, a former wrestling and football star at the College and will be joined once again this fall on the football field by his younger brother, Steven. He is the first cousin of TCNJ’s women’s soccer all-star, Courtney Krol. A health and exercise science major at TCNJ, he was named to TCNJ’s Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll last year.

Year By Year Statistics 
Year 	G UT 	AT 	Tackles TL-Yds. Sack–Yds. PD INT (Yds) Fumbles Blks. 
2004 	7 7 	2 	9 	1.0-1 0-0 	1  0-0		0 0 
2005 	9 32 	14 	46 	3.5-7 0-0 	16 1-14 		2 0 
2006 	10 13 	11 	24 	0.5-1 0-0 	6  0-0 		0 0 
Totals 	26 52 	27 	79 	5.0-9 0-0 	23 1-14 		2 0