Special Feature: Bianca & Ron Rowland

FATHER AND DAUGHTER SHARE BONDS OF UW SUCCESS AND STRUGGLES
Senior Bianca Rowland’s father, Ron, can relate to what she’s going through

It was the autumn of 1977, and senior tailback Ron Rowland had reason to be excited.

His football coach at the University of Washington was Don James. His quarterback was Warren Moon. His soon-to-be famous teammates included Spider Gaines and Joe Steele.

And Ron Rowland could have been, should have been, the biggest star of all.

Now, in the autumn of 2011, another Rowland wearing purple and gold has similar expectations. Senior middle blocker Bianca Rowland is co-captain of the Washington volleyball team, currently 15-1 and rated #2 in the nation.

On a team with bright hopes, Bianca could be, should be, the biggest star of all.

“We need Bianca Rowland,” says her coach, Jim McLaughlin, “and we’ve got to fix her deal.”

Ron Rowland & Bianca Rowland, after a match
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

Bianca Rowland’s “deal” is a precipitous drop in her hitting average (kills minus errors divided by attempts.) Last season, she hit .409, eighth best in the nation, and was an honorable mention All-American. This year, she’s hitting just .277. Her team is winning, and she’s still one of the nation’s best blockers and highest jumpers, but her senior season is—so far—not all she hoped it might be.

But in team sports, the whole is always more important than the parts. Championship teams find a way to win whether or not any one or two players emerge as stars.

Bianca’s father understands. Really understands.

In his junior year, Ron Rowland carried the ball on the final play of the season, a 51-32 Apple Cup victory in Spokane. Three yards up the middle gave him 1,002 for the season—the first UW player to reach that milestone since Hall of Fame back Hugh McElhenny. He was the Pac-8’s second-leading rusher for the season, and his senior year potential seemed endless.

But in spring, an x-ray revealed a stress fracture. While Rowland’s leg was in a cast, sophomore Joe Steele caught the coach’s eye. By autumn, Rowland and Steele were splitting playing time, even as Rowland fought off ankle and other injuries.

“That was disappointing,” Rowland says today, although he might have used a different adjective back when he was on the sidelines. “But my whole thing is about attitude. If you stay with a positive attitude, good things are gonna happen.”

It’s a message Ron now shares with Bianca.

“My dad’s really positive. And he talks me through it. Even if I had a bad game, he’ll say, ‘well, yeah, you did this wrong, but you also did this right.’”

“I really like that.”

Bianca is the youngest of four; her brother and two sisters all played sports. But none showed the raw potential as early as Bianca, especially in soccer and basketball.

“What really shocked me,” Ron says, “was when she ran track. I didn’t know she was that good. ‘Cause she’s tall, got the long legs, and she was just running the hundred yard sprint, pulling away from people.”

Bianca’s first recruiting letter from UW came from the basketball program. Several other colleges showed interest in her hoops skills. But she was also a high school volleyball star, and both Washington and WSU invited her to visit.

“It just came down to what I loved more,” says Bianca. “I still love basketball, too, but I just felt I had a better chance to go further in volleyball.”

“I did not know much about volleyball,” Ron remembers. “I’m still learning. But I come to practices; I see how hard these young ladies work. They work hard, man. The sport is growing on me every year.”

Ron Rowland at match point
[Volleyblog Seattle photo by Leslie Hamann]

During this, her senior season, Bianca’s parents attend every match, home and on the road. Ron always takes a seat in the arena corner; “where I can see the girls’ eyes on the other side of the net.”

“It’s an exciting game. They’re great athletes, and I don’t think people really realize how physical this game is. It’s a physical game.”

Sometimes it’s sweet, too, like when Ron sings the National Anthem, as he’s done before dozens of Bianca’s matches in high school, club and at Edmundson Pavilion.

“I love it,” says his daughter. “I get goose bumps. I think it gets the whole team pumped up.”

Ron’s senior season was not a failure, not by any stretch. Although he rushed for just 211 yards in 1977, the Huskies played in the Rose Bowl, where Rowland gained 32 yards on 8 carries and UW upset Michigan 27-20. He was cut the final week of training camp with the Kansas City Chiefs, but played a couple of stellar seasons in the Canadian Football League, finishing second in CFL rushing in 1979. After football, he gained another measure of fame as a member of the a cappella group The Main Attraction. He’s currently director of security for the Seattle Westin Hotel.

He struggled, but he overcame. And now that his daughter is struggling, she seeks his advice.

“My dad, we’re really close. And I pretty much talk to him about everything. Sometimes I feel like—no offense to my mom—it’s just easier to talk to my dad, because he’s been through this.”

“I can relate,” Ron says, “to some of the things she’s gone through the last four years. I say, ‘you know what? This happened, but you know what? Look at what else happened. We look at the positive, the glass is half full.”

“And we talk every day. We talk every day.”

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Jack & Leslie Hamann produce Volleyblog Seattle, a Seattle Times news partner.