We love celebrating athletes returning to school and graduating during or after their professional careers. Today we honor former Cubs’ star Dexter Fowler, who graduated this past weekend from Penn State.
Fowler’s path to graduating is probably the most unique as it includes a contractual agreement for college tuition.
Originally accepted by the University of Miami to play baseball, Fowler was drafted by the Colorado Rookies in the 14th round of the 2004 MLB June Amateur Draft.
When signing his contract, Fowler promised his parents he would return to college and get his degree. Fowler’s father ensured he adhered to his promise and included a clause in his deal that stated his four years of tuition would be fully paid for when he enrolled.
“My dad negotiated into my contract that I would get four years of school paid for,” said Fowler.
He made his pro debut with the team in 2008 and played in Colorado for six seasons before moving to the Houston Astros in 2014.
A year later, he headed to Chicago for two seasons, winning a World Series title in 2016. Most significant was that Fowler, starting in Center Field in Game 1 of the World Series against the then Cleveland Indians, became the first Black Cubs player to play in a World Series game. He also became the first player to hit a Game 7 lead-off home run in World Series history.
Those are feats Cubs legends like Ernie Banks and Andre Dawson can’t claim.
Joining him in securing a World Series title that year were outfielder Jason Heyward and infielder Addison Russell, meaning that three Black players won a World Series title on a team that hadn’t won a championship since Jackie Robinson broke MLB’s color barrier in 1947.
Fowler played for five more years in the Big Leagues, four with the Cardinals and one with the Dodgers before retiring.
He transitioned into media, appearing regularly on the Marquee Sports Network, ESPN, NBC and FOX. He then launched his own companies, Fowlball Productions and 400 Ventures, focusing on connecting entertainers, athletes and broader audiences through media platforms.
But education was always a big part of his life, so he decided to keep his promise to his family and return to school.
Only he didn’t tell his parents that he was doing it.
“I really wanted to surprise people,” said Fowler. “I didn’t tell many people that I was returning to school because I wanted to do this for myself.”
So he enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts at Penn State World Campus, where he was able to continue working while taking classes online.
“Being able to complete my education remotely was huge for me,” Fowler said. “I own two companies and am always doing a lot of things, so it was a big kicker to be able to do everything online.”
This past weekend, 20 years after forgoing college to pursue a professional baseball career, Dexter Fowler graduated from Penn State with a B.S. in organizational and professional communication. He also received the honor of representing his major as its student marshal.
Best of all, he fulfilled his promise to his parents and gave them a surprise two decades in the making.
“I’m a man of my word,” said Fowler.
And now he’s a man of his word with a college degree. Congrats Dexter!
