Too young to watch him play, but heard plenty of stories about him.
One of those stories, he was a big gambler, & would often be seen in the bookies [one of those that couldn't walk past a betting shop], he would be in the bookies Saturday 2.55pm [3pm kickoff] putting a bet on, & still be running out onto the pitch at 3pm, he'd go to the bookies at halftime too [halftime break was 10 minutes back then] & still make it out for start of the second half.
Bowles was often regarded as something of a character both on and off the pitch. Bowles has been known to cite a notable incident in his playing days involving the famous FA Cup trophy. Having won the FA Cup competition four days prior, Sunderland were parading the trophy at Roker Park on 9 May 1973 when they met QPR in the old Division 2. The trophy had been placed on a table at the side of the pitch when Bowles tore straight across the park and claims to have kicked the ball at it full speed, sending the Cup flying through the air. According to Stan, the crowd predictably went ballistic, but he had the last laugh by scoring two goals in the match which ended in a pitch invasion. Some reports suggest that some of the QPR players had laid bets as to who could hit the trophy first. However this version of events has been disputed and, according to Gordon Jago (QPR's manager at the time), it was Bowles's teammate, defender Tony Hazell, who struck the cup with an accidental clearance.
