Pat Bowe started his athletics as a young boy in Stockton playing CYO basketball for St. Luke’s Catholic School under coach John Gustorf alongside teammate Von Hayes (former MLB player). Pat played youth football for the West Stockton Bears and played for Oak Park Little League. Pat continued to play basketball at Stockton Jr. High and Stagg High School. During his senior year in high school, Pat played in the Northern California Championship tournament in 1975. Pat was named All City and All Conference in the SJAA his senior year as a 6’6” power forward.
It was football where Pat excelled, being part of Stagg’s powerhouse teams in 1974 & 1975 under coach Bob Mattos. After going 10-1 in 1974 and losing in the prestigious “Turkey Bowl”, Stagg came back again in 1975 with a perfect 11-0 season beating Beyer High School in the “Turkey Bowl”. Pat was named All Northern California as well as All SJAA at TE. Pat was recruited by Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oregon, UOP and Stanford.
Pat chose Stanford not only to stay in Northern California but because of the strong academic reputation as Bowe was Student Body President at Stagg High School with a high GPA and test scores. Pat was elected to the Stagg High Football Hall of Fame in 2024, and his 1975 team, known as “The Family” was also inducted into the Stockton Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.
Pat played at Stanford on “The Farm” and lettered three years with considerable playing time at TE under Coach Bill Walsh. In 1977 and 1978 Stanford beat Georgia and LSU in notable bowl games. He was named first team Academic All American at TE and Pac 10 All Conference honorable mention. Bowe was selected by Coach Bart Starr of the Green Bay Packers in 1980 as a free agent. Bowe played in the preseason but was released by the Packers in 1980.
Pat went on to have a very successful career in agribusiness working for Cargill Inc. for 30 years in various senior management roles throughout the Midwest and overseas. In 2015 he left Cargill Inc. to become the CEO of The Andersons, Inc., a Fortune 500 agriculture company based in Toledo, Ohio. Pat retired from The Andersons, Inc. in October of 2024 and remains Chairman of the board. He also serves on the board of directors of King Ranch, an 850,000-acre farming and ranching operation in Texas. Pat and his wife Mary Louise live in Perrysburg, OH and are very active in the local community where Pat is a board member for the Toledo Art Museum, Toledo symphony, and the Early Child Education program for the Art Tatum Zone.
Pat & Mary Louise have six children who also played sports in college. His oldest, Patrick Jr. followed in his footsteps playing TE for Stanford. They enjoy spending quality time with their children and their 10 grandchildren. Pat has very fond memories of growing up in Stockton and playing youth and high school sports with great teammates and coaches!
