Michigan State University Athletics
Catching Up With Super Bowl Champion Bennie Fowler
2/23/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. â€" Former Spartan wide receiver and Super Bowl Champion Bennie Fowler was back on campus last week to visit with former teammates and coaches. MSUSpartans.com had a chance to catch up with Fowler during his visit to the Skandalaris Football Center.
"It's a surreal feeling to win the Super Bowl, the way we won it, the fashion we won it â€" it's an amazing feeling," said Fowler in the Demmer Family Hall of History in the lobby of the Skandalaris Football Center.
Fowler was recognized during last Thursday's (Feb. 18) men's basketball game against Wisconsin at the Breslin Center.
"It means everything," Fowler, who owns an economics degree, said of coming back to MSU. "This is my family, this is my home. This was the first stop I made after winning the Super Bowl, coming back home, I went straight to East Lansing. That's where my journey began, falling in love with the game, and how much this program and this school means to me."
The Broncos wide receiver caught a 2-point conversion pass from Peyton Manning with 3:08 left in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 50 to give the Broncos a 14-point lead in their eventual 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Fowler is the 26th former Spartan to be on an active roster for a Super Bowl Champion.
A first-year receiver for the Broncos, Fowler caught two passes for 35 yards in Denver's 23-16 win over Pittsburgh in the AFC Divisional Round on Jan. 15. On the Broncos' game-winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, he hauled in a 31-yard pass from Manning on a third-and-12 play to keep Denver's drive alive.
Fowler played in the AFC Championship Game on offense and special teams as the Broncos topped the New England Patriots, 20-18.
After spending the 2014 season on the practice squad, Fowler recorded 16 catches for 203 yards (12.7 avg.) in his first active season on the AFC West Champion Broncos, who went 12-4 during the regular season. He ranked fifth on the team in receiving yards and eighth in receptions in 16 regular-season games, and had a season-high four catches for 50 yards in the Week 3 win at Detroit.
"I was undrafted, and I did the practice squad last year," said Fowler. "I just had that chip on my shoulder that I didn't want to be on the practice squad this year, I wanted to make an impact on the field with guys like Peyton (Manning), DeMarcus Ware, Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. I dedicated myself during the whole offseason, (and) I was able to make those strides during the preseason, and then in the regular season.
"They (Denver Broncos) teach you how to be a pro, especially Peyton. He's been in the league for 18 years, and with all that he's accomplished, he took me under his wing and showed me a different side of the game I didn't yet know. It's a dream come true. I met Peyton when I was 10 years old, and the fact that he's one of my teammates now, it's amazing."
A member of the 2013 Big Ten and Rose Bowl Champion Spartans, Fowler led MSU in receiving yards (622) and touchdown receptions (6) and ranked third on the team in receptions (36) as a fifth-year senior. A four-year letterwinner, Fowler had 93 receptions for 1,341 yards (14.4 avg.) in 44 career games, including 15 starts. He closed out his career tied for 16th in MSU history with 11 TD receptions and collected 1,779 all-purpose yards (1,341 receiving; 336 kick return; 102 rushing).
"(Coach Mark Dantonio) called me before the Super Bowl and told me to enjoy the moment, and realize that I was there for a reason," said Fowler. "And to see what he's doing with the program, he just takes it to even newer heights. I'm so happy to see what he's doing. He's meant a lot to my career."
Fowler also had a message to all of the Spartan fans who followed him during his Super Bowl run.
"I just want to say thank you for all the support, and all that they've done for me," remarked Fowler. "I'm not done yet. This is only my second year, and I got a Super Bowl, but I'm going to continue to make them and my family proud."
