Unrelated to Melbourne-born teammate James Cowan, Alexander Cowan was born in Troon Scotland on 11 May 1890. He played for the senior team in 1915 and was selected later that season to play for Scotland against England in a local ‘International’.
Enlisting at the end of 1916, he was initially stationed in Larkhill near Southampton. Eight days AWL in March 1917 saw him punished with eight days detention. Private Cowan was wounded in action later that year in Belgium, suffering the “destruction” of his right big toe, and presumably the end of his football career.
After returning to Fremantle he was granted pension of 10/- on 5 March 1918. He died in 1941.