CEDAR CITY, Utah — With Father's Day just around the corner, junior safety Cade Bowring carries more than just pads and pride onto the field; he carries a legacy. For Bowring, putting on the Southern Utah University jersey means honoring a bond between father and son stitched into the very fabric of Thunderbirds football. Three decades ago, his father suited up for SUU, laying the foundation that Cade now proudly builds upon, one tackle at a time.
"I didn't really think much about the legacy at first," Cade admits. "But after committing and actually being here, I realized how much more it means to both of us."
"When he was deciding where he would play, I always left it up to him to decide, but deep down I was hoping he would be a Thunderbird," said Mike Bowring. "It's really special. It brings back a ton of great memories."
Bowring, now in his second season with the Thunderbirds, has appeared in 21 games since arriving in Cedar City in 2023. While his stat line is modest, 14 total tackles across two seasons, his presence carries weight beyond numbers. Every rep he takes is steeped in memories and echoes of another Bowring who once walked the same campus, played on the same field, and represented the same colors.
Cade's father played for SUU from 1993 to 1996, during a pivotal time for the program. And while exact stats from that era have faded into dusty archives, the impression he left on the university, on fellow alumni, and especially on his son remains vivid.
"My experiences at SUU really shaped me," Mike reflects. "I had some really awesome examples in both coaches, players, and professors. I wasn't half the player my boys are, but battling to make the travel list and to get time taught me how to do hard things. I had to give my best effort each day, and as a coach, I expected that from each player."
His time at SUU not only prepared him for football but for fatherhood. "Being a dad is the best," he says. "I've been blessed with two great boys. I cherish the opportunity I've had to coach my own boys along with many other great young men."
Mike also credits his time at SUU and mentors like Dr. Lunt and Coach Ellerson for shaping his perspective on teaching and coaching. "Dr. Lunt was very influential in shaping me as a teacher and as a coach. I also got the opportunity to be a grad assistant and coach with Coach Ellerson, where I learned invaluable lessons."
There are moments now when memories resurface, like when Cade's team travels to stadiums Mike once played in. "There are games where my dad will see our schedule and say, 'Oh yeah, we played there too.' To play in the same stadiums, decades apart, is really something special," Cade says. "It brings back memories for him and gives us something to share, beyond just football."
But Cade's football journey has always been a family affair. At Juab High School, he was a multi-sport standout — rushing for over 1,100 yards in his senior season, catching eight touchdowns, and recording nearly 100 tackles on defense. He was also a three-time 3A state champion in wrestling, though football was always his dream.
"I enjoyed all the sports," he recalls, "but football was always the focus. It's where I wanted to be."
Much of that drive came from being raised under the watchful eye of his father, not just as a dad, but as a coach. Cade grew up immersed in the grind: tagging along on bus rides to away games, standing on the sidelines as a young kid, and helping line the field in the scorching summer heat with his older brother, Payton.
"I remember my dad making us spray diesel lines on the practice field every year," Cade shared. "We hated it. He had to bribe us with 50 bucks just to get us out there. But looking back, those are some of the best memories we have — not the games, not the wins, just being around the program with him."
His father's influence wasn't limited to Xs and Os. It was about balance, knowing when to be a coach and when to be a dad. That dynamic gave Cade something many athletes never get: a foundation rooted in both structure and support.
"I always knew our relationship came first," Cade says. "He made sure I understood priorities — that football is important, but not more than family."
That principle stuck with him as he transitioned from small-town star to college athlete, where every teammate shares a similar resume and every spot is earned, not given. It's where his father's advice, profound but straightforward, rings clearest: Work hard, and great things will happen.
"He told me, 'Everyone here was the guy at their high school. Now it's about how you respond, how you work," Cade explains. "And that's what I try to live by."
Even now, with his dad no longer pacing the sidelines as his coach, Cade still sees him as one.
"He's still the one I go to when I need advice, not necessarily on schemes or film breakdowns, but life stuff," Cade says. "College football is hard. Sometimes you question if it's worth it. And he's always there to remind me why I do this."
That bond, strengthened by sweat, sacrifice, and shared experience, is what truly defines the Bowring legacy at SUU. It's not about accolades or stat sheets. It's about the quiet pride of a father watching his son carry on what he started, and the determination of a son to honor that path, one down at a time.
"I know I'm following in his footsteps," Cade says. "But I also know I'm making it my own. And that's what makes it so meaningful."
For the Bowrings, Thunderbirds football isn't just a tradition. It's a generational heartbeat, steady, strong, and still thundering.
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