ANDERSON, Ind. —
Brad Bowman isn’t sure now, 11 days after the big game, if he eased his way onto the Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee or was pulled in slowly.
Whatever the case, the Anderson native and 1989 graduate of Highland High School played a vital behind-the-scenes role in making sure the event came off flawlessly.
Bowman didn’t hobnob with Hollywood stars or escort sports notables around town. Important as those duties were Super Bowl week, his job as chief financial officer of the host committee was more vital, if less glamorous: keeping the books for the $26 million event.
Bowman came to that role from the Indiana Sports Corp. where, as CFO, he’s part of the senior management team.
A colleague at ISC, Allison Melangton, was a key figure in helping Indianapolis leaders develop the city’s Super Bowl bid that was eventually accepted by the NFL.
She was later tapped to be president of the host committee and asked Bowman to help establish the committee’s nonprofit status. Other duties followed.
Bowman did have his “Super Bowl moments.”
He got to meet former Indianapolis Mayor William H. Hudnut III, who had ducked into the ISC lobby for a quiet moment and reminded him of an encounter years before at the First Presbyterian Church.
An ordained minister, Hudnut was in town that Sunday to deliver a sermon, Bowman recalled. But when his turn to speak came, the former mayor vanished. Bowman knew all the church’s nooks and crannies and volunteered to lead the search. He found Hudnut wandering down a hallway and led him back to the sanctuary.
Hudnut didn’t recall the incident, Bowman said, but seemed genuinely concerned about how Anderson has fared over the years.
“I got to work with people who really care about (Anderson),” Bowman said.
After graduating from high school, he earned a degree in accounting at Indiana University. He worked for seven years as an auditor for Ernst & Young before deciding he wanted to “work toward a mission instead of working for a profit every day.”
He joined ISC in 2000, drawn by the organization’s mission statement: “To promote Indiana as an attractive place to live, work and visit through sports and sporting events that bring national and international attention to the area.” Indianapolis won near unanimous rave reviews for its planning and execution of the Super Bowl, and Bowman expressed pride in playing a role that helped those efforts.
“I think we raised the bar and showed the NFL that we could do things with their event that they had never done.”
Contact Stuart Hirsch: 640-4861, stu.hirsch@heraldbulletin.com
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