Arda "Ard" Crawford Bowser was a professional football player who spent two years of the National Football League with the Canton Bulldogs and the Cleveland Indians.
24 Facts About Arda Bowser
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Arda Bowser was the first NFL player to use the kicking tee.
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Arda Bowser was considered the last surviving member of the 1922 Canton Bulldogs team, when he died in 1996.
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Arda Crawford Bowser was born on January 9,1899, in Danville, Pennsylvania.
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Arda Bowser was the son of Rev Addison Bartholomew Bowser and Ella Zelima Stebbins.
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Arda Bowser was captain of the 1921 Bucknell football team and is considered one of the great kickers in the school's history.
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Arda Bowser received Honorable Mention on Walter Camp's All-American team.
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Arda Bowser made first-team All-America on Frank G Menke's team and the New York Telegram's team.
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Arda Bowser led all eastern colleges in scoring in 1920 with a 102 points, most of which came from 13 TD's he scored.
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In 1921, Arda Bowser was Bucknell's captain and again led the East in scoring with 112 points.
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Arda Bowser was named first-team All-America on Grantland Rice's All-American team.
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In 1922, Arda Bowser discovered that he used up his all of college football eligibility.
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Arda Bowser however stayed on to finish his degree requirements and assist head coach Pete Reynolds in 1922.
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However Arda Bowser still played with other teams that year besides Canton.
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In 1922 Arda Bowser won the 1922 NFL Championship with the Canton Bulldogs, when he was made the team's kicker, after Pete Henry injured his foot.
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Arda Bowser replaced Jim Thorpe and played both fullback and linebacker.
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In 1923, Arda Bowser got a job with the White Motor Company in Cleveland, Ohio.
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Arda Bowser designed the tee with the help of his coach from Bucknell, Pete Reynolds.
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However Arda Bowser still played on weekends, under an alias and playing for teams in small towns such as Mount Carmel.
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Arda Bowser's playing career officially ended after the 1924 season.
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Arda Bowser had been told by doctors that he had a year to live.
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Arda Bowser moved to Florida in 1947, and live for almost another 50 years.
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Arda Bowser was interviewed in 1994 for the special 75 Seasons: The Story of the National Football League, produced for Turner Network Television by NFL Films.
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At the time of his death, a memorial service was held at the Montgomeryville Baptist Church in Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania, where Arda Bowser's father had been a pastor.