Chris Rowland

Chris Rowland

 Photo: Courtesy DC Defenders

Chris Rowland earned his first championship since his senior year at Ravenwood when he helped lead the DC Defenders to the United Football League title seven weeks ago.

“It was pretty cool, so I was very emotional,” says Rowland, a wide receiver and return specialist. “All the things that our team felt during the course of three or four months of the season, so it was really awesome.”

DC overcame the loss of coach Reggie Barlow and Gregg Williams less than a week before the season opener in March when they left for Tennessee State.

“That was probably one of the biggest hurdles, just getting used to new leadership, guys’ coaching styles,” Rowland says. “Everybody’s not the same, so you have to adjust your mindset.”

Former TSU star quarterback Shannon Harris replaced Barlow and Williams’ son, Blake, took over for his dad, who was the Titans defensive coordinator when they made it to the Super Bowl after the 1999 season.

DC (8-4) won its division en route to a 58-34 victory over Michigan in the championship, avenging a 38-14 loss to the Panthers during the regular season.

“We were a heavy underdog,” Rowland says. “The last two times we played them they would just wear us out. The odds were heavily stacked against us.”

Rowland scored the final touchdown of the game on a 19-yard run late in the fourth quarter.

“We kind of lived off the big play the whole year, so we were known for having a very explosive offense,” Rowland says. “We also had a really good defense.”

DC quarterback Jordan Ta’amu led the UFL in passing touchdowns (17), and Rowland was third in receiving yards (523) and receptions (42). DC ranked first in scoring (24.5) and yards per game (345.2).

“Chris’ role was bigger than big for us throughout the entire course of the season, not just as an offensive weapon, but as a specialist,” Harris says. “The things that he did for us were amazing.”

Rowland was named to the All-UFL team as a receiver and a return specialist on punts and kickoffs.

Harris describes Rowland as “a Swiss Army knife” who was also used in the backfield.

One of Rowland’s most memorable plays was a 9-yard TD pass to Ta’amu on a trick play on third down in a 33-30 win over Arlington in May.

Rowland, 27, played briefly in the NFL with Atlanta from 2020-21, and he was on the Titans’ practice squad in 2021.

“I would love another shot at the NFL, but some things are out of your control,” Rowland says.

At 5-foot-8, 185 pounds, his lack of size could make it difficult for a return to the NFL.

“I can’t control my measurables, but I can control my attitude, effort and numbers and stats I put on that board,” Rowland says.

Harris believes Rowland has the potential to return to the NFL.

“Like I told him, my job is to help get you to the NFL, and I’m gonna feed you the ball as much as possible to showcase your talent,” Harris says. “He definitely deserves that opportunity, and I’m hoping and praying that that phone call comes soon, for sure.”

Rowland played running back and receiver when he led Ravenwood to a Class 6A title in 2015 with a 26-15 win over Maryville, ending the Rebels’ 44-game winning streak.

He scored the Raptors’ first TD on a 63-yard pass from Andrew Rappe in the second quarter.

The win eased the pain of a 35-34 overtime loss to Maryville in the 2014 state championship when the Rebels rallied from a 28-7 deficit in the first quarter.

“You often think about the heartbreak more than the joy,” says Rowland, who lives in Atlanta now.

Will Hester, who coached Rowland at Ravenwood, says he can’t undersell his importance to the Raptors’ title run.

“Basically, he was our big-play guy,” Hester says. “He was a lot of our offense, scored a lot of our touchdowns that year. Semifinal game against Whitehaven, he returns a kickoff for a touchdown when we were down 10-0, and then scores the go-ahead touchdown. He was probably the MVP of our team.”

Former Ravenwood receiver Van Jefferson, one year older than Rowland, was a groomsman in Rowland’s wedding to Akolbia Biggers on July 5 in Lewisburg.

Jefferson, who won a Super Bowl with the Rams after the 2021 season, is in his first year with the Titans.

After Ravenwood, Rowland played receiver at TSU, where he won the 2019  Deacon Jones Trophy for the best player from an HBCU.

“I was the only receiver that had ever won it, so it was actually really surprising,” Rowland says.

Rowland broke the HBCU record for most receptions in a season that was previously held by Jerry Rice, the most prolific receiver in NFL History. Rowland caught 104 passes that year, two more than Rice, despite missing a game-and-a-half due to a pulled hamstring. 

He was the only Division I player to record a rushing, receiving, kick return and punt return for a TD in 2019.

“When you’ve got a guy like that who’s that talented and can do so much, you don’t hold him back,” Harris says. “You let him use all the tools in his toolbox.”