Born in Brookhaven, New York, during his playing career, he was a 6'5" tall, 195-pound shooting guard.

He averaged 18.7 points and 8.8 rebounds to power Potsdam State to the NCAA Division III championship during the 1980–81 season.

When he failed to make the Denver lineup, Rowland drifted to the Continental League, where he played for the Albany Patroons, for seven years.

In 1981–82, Rowland averaged 7.3 points for the Rochester Zeniths, and was cut the next campaign, after playing only four games with the Albany club.

[2] Rowland was one of the two American reinforcements, along with the late Bobby Parks, who played for Shell Rimula X, during the Third Conference of the 1988 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) season.