[1][2][3][4] He was a teammate of future President of the United States Gerald Ford on the 1932 and 1933 Michigan teams.

While at Michigan, Kowalik was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and the Druids.

[5] After graduating from Michigan, Kowalik played professional football for the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1934.

[6][7] Kowalik and his wife, Frances (LaRowe), had a son, John, Jr., and three daughters, Carolyn, Mary, and Janet.

[8] John Jr. played college football as a halfback for the University of Michigan from 1960 to 1962.