Largo High Grad Comes Home for Football

Following a standout career at Largo High School in Upper Marlboro, Ramono Flowers headed to Central Michigan University to play Division I football.

But after one redshirt season in 2003, Flowers left Central Michigan for personal reasons. His former Central Michigan head coach, Brian Kelly, left for Cincinnati in 2006 and is now the head coach at Notre Dame. Former CMU assistant Butch Jones is now the head coach at Cincinnati.

"I was working for a few years," said Flowers, who worked in the home security business. "I wanted to go out and play [college football], but I did not have the funds" to pay for college.

But then Flowers, who grew up in Largo, ran into Damon Wilson, the head football coach at Division II Bowie State. Flowers grew up playing with the brother of Wilson in a youth league in the Kettering area of Prince George's County.

"He is going into his junior year. We are looking for him to do some big things," Wilson said of the Largo grad. "He called me [a few years ago] and said he want to get back into school. He is on track to graduate this coming May and has a 3.4 grade-point average."

Wilson offered Flowers a scholarship to Bowie State, and last year the Largo High grad was one of the top running backs for the Bulldogs. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry and ended up with 303 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught six passes and played in 10 games, with eight starts.

"He is very fast. If he can see a hole he is out of there," Bowie State offensive lineman and Laurel High graduate OgheneMaro Erhie said of Flowers.

This year, Flowers is expected to be one of the top running backs for the Bulldogs, who begin the season on the road Sept. 3 at Assumption in Worcester, MA.

Last year when Bowie State played at Morgan State in Baltimore, they were paid a visit by former Bulldogs' standout Isaac Redman, who played last year for the Pittsburgh Steelers as a running back. Redman spoke to Bowie State at halftime of the game at Morgan State but the Bulldogs could not pull out a win.

"It was a lift for us. He played with a lot of guys on the team. He meant a lot to the team and the program," Flowers said of Redman.

Flowers also has dreams of playing at the pro level after his Division II career. If not, he may pursue a master's degree in business.

Flowers has big goals for this season. "I would like to rush for 1,000 yards. But most of all I want to win the CIAA championship. I want to go to the Division II playoffs," said Flowers, a redshirt junior who is on track to graduate with a degree in finance.

Last year, Bowie State lost its first three games but won the last four to end up 6-4 overall. "We are going to be more experienced this year," Flowers said. "We are more focused." And so is the Largo High grad who got a second shot at college football.

"I consider myself a leader on the team," he added.