PULASKI — When R.J. Bowers was running over, around and through tacklers on the way to a NCAA all-division record of 7,353 career rushing yards, he was under the impression the mark would stand the test of time.

After all, it was nearly 10 years before Brian Shay passed Johnny Bailey. It took Bailey more than 12 years to eclipse Tony Dorsett.

But Bowers has watched two runners in the last two seasons race past him much the same way he raced past defenders trying to bring him down at Grove City College from 1997-2000.

"Records," Bowers explains simply, "get broken."

Six years after Bowers inked his name into the NCAA record books so thoroughly the pen dried up, Danny Woodhead plucked them off one by one.

He broke Bowers' all-division rushing record in October, then shattered his TD mark with 101. Bowers scored 92 in his career.

Woodhead of Chadron State, a small college in Nebraska whose biggest football alum was DonBeebe, wasn't atop the rushing list long.

On Saturday, Nate Kmic of Mount Union broke Woodhead's record.

Kmic eclipsed Bowers' Division-III mark earlier in the season and has a staggering 124 TDs in his career.

Both Woodhead and Kmic had the benefit of playoff games. Bowers played in only 40 games while Woodhead played in 44 and Kmich 55.

"If I had those extra games, I might have rushed for 10,000 yards," Bowers said.

That's because Grove City's offense duringBowers' years there was R.J. left, R.J. right, R.J. up the middle.

It was a style that Bowers craved.

"It was awesome," said Bowers, now 34. "I paid for it on Sundays, but I'll never turn the football down. I loved being the guy the other team knew they had to stop, but couldn't. It was an awesome feeling."

Bowers averaged 184 yards rushing per game, which is one of the few all-division records he can still claim.

His rushing record earned him three years and eight games in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns.

He rushed for 84 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown with the Steelers and caught a TD pass with the Browns.

These days, Bowers works as a sales agent for a logistics company in the area.

Toppling tacklers has turned into knocking down pins. The football field has turned into fairways as his sporting outlet.

Bowers is grateful for his opportunity at Grove City College. He took a strange route to get there.

After graduating from West Middlesex High School, Bowers turned down a scholarship to play football at Akron University to pursue a pro baseball career.

Drafted by the Houston Astros, Bowers languished in the low minors and battled injuries before giving it up.

He went to Grove City College to get his business degree when he discovered he had four years of football eligibility left.

It didn't take long for Wolverines' coach Chris Smith to see what kind of gem he had in the 6-foot, 248 pound bruiser of back.

"Yeah, it was definitely a journey and a learning experience," Bowers said. "It's the kind of thing that prepares you for life."

Bowers always thought he had pro talents, whether it was in baseball or football. He found he had an up-hill climb getting noticed by football scout because of his Division III status.

"I never considered myself a a Division III athlete," Bowers said. "D-III has a stigma, but I felt my play spoke for itself. I feel like I made the most of the opportunities presented to me."

Despite the fact Bowers' name is quickly fading from the record books, he still remembers that time fondly.

"It was some of the best years of my life," Bowers said. "I ran into coach Smith just the other day and we sat back and reminisced about the good old days. I wouldn't change a thing."