Tom Dowling (American football)
Thomas Walter Dowling (March 8, 1940 – January 7, 2018) was an American football coach best known for his stint as head coach of Liberty University in the 1970s and 1980s. A graduate of Georgetown College, Dowling coached for over 30 years on the collegiate level. His coaching Family tree includes Mike Ayers of Wofford College. Both coach Ayers’ son Travis Dowling, and his grandson Ezra Dowling are named for Coach Dowling.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 8, 1940 Springfield, Kentucky |
| Died | January 7, 2018 (aged 77) Georgetown, Kentucky |
| Playing career | |
| 1957–1960 | Georgetown (KY) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1969–1972 | Georgetown (KY) (assistant) |
| 1973–1976 | Georgetown (KY) |
| 1977–1983 | Liberty |
| 1985–1995 | Cumberland (KY) |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1995–2002 | MSC (commissioner) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 111–107–4 |
| Tournaments | 0–1 (NAIA D-II playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2 MSC (1987–1988) | |
Playing career
Dowling played football for Georgetown College serving as co-captain of the 1960 team. He also won the KIAC championship in the shot put while competing for the track team.[1]
Coaching career
Dowling began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater, Georgetown College. After four successful seasons he became the third head coach at Liberty Baptist College (now called Liberty University). He led the Flames in their transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II in 1981.[2]
After Liberty, he moved on to start the football program at Cumberland College (now called University of the Cumberlands) in Williamsburg, Kentucky.[3]
Later life
Dowling later served as commissioner of the Mid-South Conference from 1995 to 2002.[4] He died of pancreatic cancer on January 7, 2018.[5]
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | NAIA# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgetown Tigers (NAIA) (1973–1976) | |||||||||
| 1973 | Georgetown | 3–6 | |||||||
| 1974 | Georgetown | 7–2 | 16 | ||||||
| 1975 | Georgetown | 6–4 | 17 | ||||||
| 1976 | Georgetown | 7–2–1 | 11 | ||||||
| Georgetown: | 23–14–1 | ||||||||
| Liberty Flames (NAIA independent) (1977–1980) | |||||||||
| 1977 | Liberty | 3–7 | |||||||
| 1978 | Liberty | 4–5–1 | |||||||
| 1979 | Liberty | 9–1–1 | 18 | ||||||
| 1980 | Liberty | 7–3 | |||||||
| Liberty Flames (NCAA Division II Independent) (1981–1983) | |||||||||
| 1981 | Liberty | 1–9 | |||||||
| 1982 | Liberty | 7–4 | |||||||
| 1983 | Liberty | 2–9 | |||||||
| Liberty: | 33–38–2 | ||||||||
| Cumberland Indians (NAIA Division II independent) (1985–1986) | |||||||||
| 1985 | Cumberland | 1–9 | |||||||
| 1986 | Cumberland | 3–7 | |||||||
| Cumberland Indians (Mid-South Conference) (1985–1987) | |||||||||
| 1987 | Cumberland | 7–3 | T–1st | ||||||
| 1988 | Cumberland | 10–1 | 5–0 | 1st | L NAIA Division II First Round | ||||
| 1989 | Cumberland | 7–3 | 5–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1990 | Cumberland | 7–2–1 | 4–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1991 | Cumberland | 4–5 | 3–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1992 | Cumberland | 3–7 | 1–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1993 | Cumberland | 2–9 | 2–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1994 | Cumberland | 5–5 | 1–4 | T–5th | |||||
| 1995 | Cumberland | 6–4 | 5–3 | 4th | |||||
| Cumberland: | 55–55–1 | ||||||||
| Total: | 111–107–4 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
- "Pikes Alpha Lambda Alumni Association Hall of Fame" (PDF). Retrieved February 25, 2007.
- "Liberty Football History" (PDF). Retrieved February 25, 2007.
- "Liberty Coaching History" (PDF). Retrieved February 25, 2007.
- "Georgetown College Hall of Fame Bio". Archived from the original on April 4, 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2008.
- Thomas Walter Dowling