LAKE FOREST, Ill. – As one of three national finalists, Wisconsin long snapper Peter Bowden is in contention for the 2023 Patrick Mannelly Award, given to the nation’s best collegiate long snapper. Bowden, and other finalists Β Marco Ortiz (Nebraska) and Joe Shimko (NC State) will be honored tonight at the 5th annual Patrick Mannelly Award banquet tonight in Lake Forest, Ill.
Bowden, who was a semifinalist for the award last season, has played in 38 consecutive games as Wisconsin’s long snapper.Β A San Diego, Calif., native, Bowden began his Badger career as a walk-on in fall of 2019 before being moved onto scholarship in early 2021.Β
This fall, Bowden has helped kicker Nathanial Vakos to a perfect 30-for-30 clip on extra points and a 14-for-17 performance on field goals. Vakos has missed only one kick from inside 50 yards this season. With the Badgers’ punt unit moving to a new rugby-style scheme in 2023, Bowden has provided a seamless transition by executing snaps to first-year punter Atticus Bertrams. Bowden has helped Bertrams rack up a 41.8 yards per punt average through 58 punts this season.Β
The Mannelly Award, created in 2019, benefits Bernie’s Book Bank, a non-profit organization located in Lake Bluff, Ill. The award is named after Patrick Mannelly, a long snapper at Duke, who played 16 years in the NFL (1998-2013) with the Chicago Bears.
Bowden spent Friday in Chicago with the other finalists, visiting Manuel Perez School in Chicago to deliver books with Bernie’s Book Bank. The crew also got a tour of Solider Field with Mannelly and other award representatives.Β
Bernie’s Book Bank is a non-profit organization that sources and redistributes books across Chicagoland to enhance reading growth and education throughout the area. The organization has distributed nearly 25 million books since 2009.
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