USC football general manager on his Catholic conversion: 'I need to do this'

Chad Bowden was beaming. This was it. This was the moment.

This wasn’t a football game at the Coliseum. Sure, there were football players. USC head football coach Lincoln Riley was in attendance.

Instead, Bowden, 32, stood inside USC’s Our Savior Church, dressed in a maroon sport coat and checkered shirt, and bowed his head.

He’d spent years in baseball and football locker rooms, but nothing fully prepared him for this.

“Chad, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” said Father Matthew Wheeler, pastor at Our Savior, pouring water on Bowden’s head over the baptismal font.

“I opened up my eyes, and then everyone was cheering, and it was official,” Bowden said. “That was a surreal moment.” 

The general manager of the University of Southern California’s football program had just converted to Catholicism, the result of a lifetime of searching. 

***

Growing up in the late 1990s, Bowden wasn’t raised in a particularly religious family. Sure, they said grace before meals and he knew his prayers before bedtime, and he would occasionally tag along for Sunday Mass with his friend’s family during weekend sleepovers. But sports was king in the Bowden house. 

Chad’s father, Jim Bowden, was once the general manager of the Cincinnati Reds and later an executive with the Washington Nationals. Bowden was used to hanging around a Major League Baseball locker room with Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Larkin, and Adam Dunn, while roaming the Cincinnati Reds’ ballpark.

But while he loved baseball and he loved his dad, the sport he fell in love with was football. 

“[Baseball] was such an individual sport,” said Bowden, who began as a ball boy at Anderson High School in Ohio and started playing football in high school. 

“The only person up at the plate is that guy. And the really cool thing about [football] is it takes 11 guys coming together as one.” 

After high school graduation, he had a choice: try to play football in college, or get a job. Seeing limited opportunities to play football, Bowden moved to Los Angeles and started working, first for a sports agency, then selling Google ads over the phone.

But his heart wasn’t in it. He was looking for something that gave him the same jolt as football did. And even in LA, thousands of miles away from home, he was also still searching for something else: God. He often attended the Hollywood United Methodist Church and used to pray: “God, I’ll continue to go down the path that you laid out for me. Just continue to show me the way, please.”

***

Sorry USC fans, but Notre Dame plays a significant role in Bowden’s life and conversion.

After finding a life without football fruitless, Bowden went back to Ohio to become the defensive coordinator for his former high school coach. Later, an opportunity with the Miami Dolphins led to a job at the University of Cincinnati to help the football program with recruiting.

There he met Marcus Freeman, then the University of Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator, who would later go to Notre Dame and take Bowden with him. Freeman is currently the head football coach at Notre Dame and was at Bowden’s wedding.

Ah, yes, the wedding. Meet Ava, Bowden’s wife.

Ava and Chad went to high school together in Kentucky, but they didn’t really know each other until they reconnected as young adults.

Soon they were following each other on social media, then exchanging texts, then phone calls. They didn’t start dating right away, but the connection was real.

“We just started talking about the deeper stuff, the stuff that normally you kind of save for after the first date, but we kind of just jumped right into it because we were already at that stage of our life where we knew what we wanted,” Ava said.

In those conversations, Chad found a sounding board to explore and expand his knowledge of God. Ava, a cradle Catholic, was only happy to engage him in discussions about the meaning of life and God’s plan that “really clicked” for Bowden. 

“A lot of it really stemmed from her, and she’s a huge reason for how I’ve moved in faith.”

Ava was in the right place when it came time for Chad to make another choice: whether to stay at the University of Cincinnati or join his friend at Notre Dame.

“I was having a really hard time in my life,” said Chad. “And God put Ava right there at the right time.”

Chad chose Notre Dame and quickly became the football program’s director of recruiting, then the general manager. Being at Notre Dame and finally dating Ava kicked his education in Catholicism into overdrive.

“His time at Notre Dame really impacted him and grew his faith,” said Ava, citing visits to the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. “That was a big part of his journey. It just obviously wasn’t the end.”

Chad and Ava were married in 2024 by Father Nathan Wills, CSC, the chaplain for Notre Dame’s football team. They bought a house, Chad’s faith was growing, and Notre Dame was about to make an appearance in the national championship game.

It seemed like nothing could go wrong.

***

Days after Notre Dame lost to Ohio State in the national championship game on Jan. 20, 2025, Bowden shocked many in college football by leaving Notre Dame and becoming the general manager for rival USC. 

There was heartache, but nothing compared to what Chad and Ava were about to endure in their marriage. Since moving to Los Angeles, Ava has had four miscarriages, the last one of which was twins. 

“We’re not giving up hope or anything like that,” Ava said. “But four babies is a lot, and it takes a toll on people, their faith, their relationships.”

That’s where Ava has seen the most growth in Chad: his faith and resilience in the midst of these personal sufferings.

“Chad’s faith has never been so strong,” Ava said. “He is so confident in God’s plan and his will. I normally would consider myself a very faithful person, but obviously loss of unborn babies can be very hard for mothers. And so he’s been my rock.

“It’s either you be strong and you grow, or you cower away and you crumble and you let life’s hardships destroy you, and that’s not him.”

The couple wanted to share their story in case other families are experiencing similar hardships — and to see God working in them.

“It’s hard to talk about,” Ava said. “But sometimes there are so many other people struggling too that it’s good for them to know that they’re not alone, and that you can still have faith even through the darkest times.”

***

During the rite of confirmation, USC center Kilian O’Connor stood close behind him. 

It might seem strange that a football player was the sponsor for the general manager’s sacraments, but O’Connor said it speaks to the relationship Bowden has with the team. After suffering a career-ending injury himself, O’Connor saw Bowden’s faith at work as an example to him and others.

“Over the years, he’s someone I’ve looked up to as a leader,” O’Connor said. “I think it’s a great reminder that you can be at any stage in your life and the Catholic Church will take you and maybe that’ll be an example for other people who are thinking about joining the Church.”

In his homily, Wheeler spoke about how the journey of faith includes moments when we question where God is.

“Before we see God, so often God sees us,” said Wheeler. “He’s looking at us sitting on the couch. He’s actually working for our benefit and our blessing before we even realize it. He’s working through people, situations, circumstances. He’s working for our salvation.

“We can say in a very real way that God has used football to bring Chad Bowden to faith in Jesus Christ.”

At the end of the Mass, Wheeler presented Bowden with a certificate.

“Once again, God bless you … and fight on!” Wheeler said, referencing the name of the school’s fight song. 

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Chad Bowden, second from right, displays his certificate after converting to Catholicism during a Mass at USC's Our Savior Parish on Oct. 18. Posing with him is, from left: Deacon Paul Pesqueira, USC football player Kilian O'Connor, Chad's wife, Ava, and Father Matthew Wheeler, pastor at Our Savior. (Peter Lobato)

Chad Bowden, general manager for the USC football team, walks into the university's Our Savior Parish with his wife, Ava, on Oct. 18 to begin Mass for him to enter fully into the Catholic Church. (Peter Lobato)

Chad Bowden, left, general manager for the USC football team, and his sponsor, football player Kilian O'Connor, right, begin the Mass for Bowden to enter fully into the Catholic Church at the university's Our Savior Parish on Oct. 18. (Peter Lobato)

Chad Bowden, left, general manager for the USC football team, and his sponsor, football player Kilian O'Connor, right, begin the Mass for Bowden to enter fully into the Catholic Church at the university's Our Savior Parish on Oct. 18. (Peter Lobato)

The university’s Our Savior Church hosted Chad Bowden, the general manager for the USC football team, for his conversion Mass on Oct. 18. (Peter Lobato)

Chad Bowden, the general manager for the USC football team, sits with his wife, Ava, and his sponsor, football player Kilian O'Connor, during his conversion Mass on Oct. 18 at the university’s Our Savior Church. (Peter Lobato)

Chad Bowden, the general manager for the USC football team, gets baptized on Oct. 18 by Father Matthew Wheeler, pastor at the university’s Our Savior Church. Bowden's sponsor, football player Kilian O'Connor, is at left. (Peter Lobato)

Chad Bowden, the general manager for the USC football team, hugs Father Matthew Wheeler, pastor at the university’s Our Savior Church after getting baptized on Oct. 18. (Peter Lobato)

Chad Bowden, the general manager for the USC football team, participates in the confirmation rite on Oct. 18 by Father Matthew Wheeler, pastor at the university’s Our Savior Church. (Peter Lobato)

Chad Bowden, the general manager for the USC football team, participates in the confirmation rite on Oct. 18 by Father Matthew Wheeler, pastor at the university’s Our Savior Church. (Peter Lobato)

Chad Bowden, the general manager for the USC football team, participates in the confirmation rite on Oct. 18 by Father Matthew Wheeler, pastor at the university’s Our Savior Church, with his sponsor, football player Kilian O'Connor, standing behind him. (Peter Lobato)

Father Matthew Wheeler, pastor at the university’s Our Savior Church, offers the homily during Chad Bowden's conversion Mass on Oct. 18. (Peter Lobato)

Chad Bowden, general manager for the USC football team, and his wife, Ava, carry the Communion gifts during Mass on Oct. 18 at the university's Our Savior Parish for him to enter fully into the Catholic Church. (Peter Lobato)

Father Matthew Wheeler, pastor at the university’s Our Savior Church, consecrates the Eucharist during Chad Bowden's conversion Mass on Oct. 18. (Peter Lobato)

Father Matthew Wheeler, pastor at the university’s Our Savior Church, offers holy Communion to Chad Bowden, general manager of the USC football team, during his conversion Mass on Oct. 18. (Peter Lobato)

The university's Our Savior Parish offers Chad Bowden a cardinal-and-gold-colored cake that reads “Welcome Chad to the Trojan Catholic Family" following his conversion Mass on Oct. 18. (Peter Lobato)

In the parish’s courtyard, there were hugs, smiles, tears, and a cardinal-and-gold-colored cake that read “Welcome Chad to the Trojan Catholic Family.”

Reflecting on his faith journey that day, Bowden said he knew this was where God wanted him to be.

“It’s just the love. It’s the family. It’s the community. That’s what USC is all about.”

***

Bowden could’ve become Catholic at any point in his life. Maybe before he married his wife. Maybe while he was working at one of the most prestigious Catholic universities on the planet.

But it just happened to be in God’s time that it was USC.

“I think it was more about timing than location,” Ava said. “I think he just finally realized that it’s what he wants, and that’s where his life is going, and that the Holy Spirit is calling him to.”

“I think I was always going [to Mass] because I felt like I had to go, and I feel like since I’ve met my wife, I’ve wanted to go,” Chad said. 

“Finally, about a year ago, I was like, you know, I’m fired up to go to Mass. I want to go there. I can’t wait for the message. I can’t wait for the Scripture. I need to do this.”

In his office, Bowden has a picture that shows the Tree of Life symbolizing the original sin of Adam and Eve, along with the cross representing Jesus Christ’s sacrifice to bridge the gap between man and God.

“There’s something about that picture that really moves me,” he said. “Every day there are so many different temptations in a lot of different ways. Whether it’s food or your job, money, things you do with money. I’m just really drawn to understanding what God did for us to go up to heaven, and for him to be able to forgive us of our sins.

As his job entails everything in USC’s football program from recruiting, to the transfer portal, to, yes,  the softness of the program’s toilet paper, he tries to bring what he’s received in church to his relationships on and off the field.

“I view my job as I have an opportunity to help every young kid that’s between the ages of 17 to 22, some of them 23 years old, to help them become the best version of themselves.

“It’s not about winning or losing. That always takes care of itself. It’s all about the process and those kids being better people. Because if they end up being better people, they’re going to end up winning in football. But the most important thing is they’re going to win in life.”