“My Boy From Mars,” a book about a Maricopa football player turned NFL pro, covers more yards than an NFL field ever could.
Sure, the book is about Maricopa’s NFL hometown hero, Jacob Cowing, but author Monte Cowing, Jacob’s father, touches on parenting more than football.
The proud father and Pamela Cowing, Jacob’s grandmother, hosted a book signing near the entrance of Fry’s Marketplace Saturday morning, chatting with locals and displaying copies of Monte’s recently published book.
The sign next to the book table read, “Are you a helicopter parent? Read my book and land safely and allow your child’s gifts to manifest.”
At heart, the story is about allowing your children to follow their passion.
A natural gift
It was clear early on that Jacob Cowing had a gift for athletics.
“He took to sports, he took to football”
“He took to sports, he took to football,” Monte said. Jacob finished his Maricopa High School career with 89 catches for 2,065 yards and 21 touchdowns.
That talent sometimes drew questions. Monte said people often accused him of putting Jacob in special programs or hiring special coaches. One person even accused him of putting his son on steroids.
“I was always asked, ‘What do you have him on? What kind of food, what kind of regimen?’ I said nothing! He eats McDonald’s. He’s just a kid!” Monte said.
Coming-of-age sports stories often carry an expectation of struggle or overcoming adversity, but Monte said that wasn’t the case with raising Jacob.
“What’s crazy is everyone thought there were some hardships raising him and all that, but like I said, if you can play, they’ll find you, and he could always play,” Monte said.
Navigating recruitment
The struggle came when it was time for Jacob to get recruited to his first university, Monte said.
“Maricopa just wasn’t ready for his level of athletics so when it came time for him to get recruited, they didn’t know how to help,” Monte said. “They had never done it before. We were all just learning how it works.”
As larger universities began recruiting Jacob, the family learned he was missing credits required for admission.
Jacob had to cram a whole semester into two stressful weeks, Monte said.
By the time he completed the coursework, his college options had dwindled. Only the University of Texas at El Paso remained, according to Monte.
From a childhood dream to the NFL
His next opportunity brought him closer to home. When the University of Arizona recruited Jacob, he jumped at the chance to play there. It meant realizing a childhood dream, one reflected in the posters on his bedroom wall.
He spent two seasons at Arizona before the San Francisco 49ers selected him in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft.
The wide receiver wears No. 4 for the 49ers.
For Monte, the journey comes back to his son’s love of the game — and the parenting lesson at the center of his book.
“I used sports as a way to make sure he did his homework or did his chores,” Monte said. “He couldn’t wait to get out on that field.”
“That’s what the book’s about, to not push your kid. If they like doing something, cultivate it.”
You can purchase the book on Amazon.
