the future in his mind. He was determined to play Division I football, although he had yet to find a collegiate home. Hofstra offered Fowler a full scholarship, only to announce it was dropping football. Harvard and Yale expressed interest before backing off. Boston College wanted Fowler, but had no scholarship to offer. Penn wanted a faceoff man, but Fowler was set on football.
As his senior year progressed, time started to run out on Fowler.
“Brendan kept sliding down the recruiting board in football. It was like he was going out with the most beautiful girl and breaking up every day,” John Fowler said. “At one point, he came to me and apologized. He said he was sorry he had no place to go.”
Brendan, a National Honor Society member, became resigned to walking on to play football at Villanova, where his father played in the late 1980s. Then he got a phone call from then-Duke assistant football coach Terrell Smith, who had seen Fowler on video and was fishing for a walk-on. Brendan visited Durham, N.C., was smitten by Duke and jumped at Smith’s invitation. He also asked coach David Cutcliffe to let him pursue one other interest. Fowler, the 2010 NYCHSAA Faceoff Man of the Year, also wanted to be a lacrosse walk-on. Cutcliffe told him to go for it. ***
In the fall of 2010, Fowler was an anonymous freshman at Duke, a backup linebacker and special teamer beginning his
A Publication of US Lacrosse
redshirt year in football. He would not set foot on a lacrosse field for the Blue Devils until early 2011. His only realistic chance to play would be as a pure faceoff man. “Duke was the best school and sports package I could put together,” said Brendan Fowler, who was a two-time state champion wrestler at Chaminade. “I love competition more than I love any sport itself.”
Fowler has that down. After being part of a faceoff combination for two seasons that was led by star long-stick midfielder C.J. Costabile, Fowler became the king of Division I specialists as a junior in 2013.
He wrapped up a superb season with a machine-like performance at Lincoln Financial Field. Fowler won 36 of
July 2013 >> LACROSSE MAGAZINE 37
“Through his own tenacity, Brendan kept getting better,” Duke coach John Danowski said of his faceoff specialist.
©LEE WEISSMAN
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