Brian Dowling (football)
Encyclopedia
Brian John Dowling is a former college and professional football player and was the starting quarterback
of the Yale University
football
team in the late 1960s. He set, and held for decades, a number of Yale passing records. Dowling finished 9th in vote for the 1968 Heisman Trophy
, and was awarded the Nils V. "Swede" Nelson Award for sportsmanship
in 1967.
The 1968 team was undefeated and favored going into The Game
against Harvard University
. Harvard was undefeated and untied, too. Harvard, trailing 29–13 with less than a minute remaining, rallied to tie the game, which ended with a score of 29–29. The contest's result inspired the Harvard Crimson
to print the headline "Harvard Beats Yale, 29-29". Dowling at that point had lost only one game he started since the sixth grade.
Dowling played football in high school for St. Ignatius High School, located in Cleveland, Ohio
. He played in two consecutive City Championship games in 1963 and 1964; St. Ignatius lost to Benedictine High School, 30-16, in the 1963 game but avenged the loss the following year with a 48-6 victory over Benedictine.
Dowling played briefly in the National Football League
for the New England Patriots
and Green Bay Packers
. He was drafted in the 11th round of the 1969 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings
, but cut in training camp. He had two touchdown
passes and three rushing touchdowns during his NFL career.
The character B.D., in the Doonesbury
comic strip, was originally based on Dowling, a Yale classmate of cartoonist Garry Trudeau
.
Dowling is currently an insurance industry consultant who works with a venture capitalist in the Boston area.
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
of the Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team in the late 1960s. He set, and held for decades, a number of Yale passing records. Dowling finished 9th in vote for the 1968 Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
, and was awarded the Nils V. "Swede" Nelson Award for sportsmanship
Sportsmanship
Sportsmanship is an aspiration or ethos that a sport or activity will be enjoyed for its own sake, with proper consideration for fairness, ethics, respect, and a sense of fellowship with one's competitors...
in 1967.
The 1968 team was undefeated and favored going into The Game
1968 Yale vs. Harvard football game
The 1968 Yale vs. Harvard football game was an American college football game between the team of Yale University and the team of Harvard University played on November 23, 1968. The game ended in a tie with a score of 29–29...
against Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. Harvard was undefeated and untied, too. Harvard, trailing 29–13 with less than a minute remaining, rallied to tie the game, which ended with a score of 29–29. The contest's result inspired the Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson
The Harvard Crimson, the daily student newspaper of Harvard University, was founded in 1873. It is the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates...
to print the headline "Harvard Beats Yale, 29-29". Dowling at that point had lost only one game he started since the sixth grade.
Dowling played football in high school for St. Ignatius High School, located in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. He played in two consecutive City Championship games in 1963 and 1964; St. Ignatius lost to Benedictine High School, 30-16, in the 1963 game but avenged the loss the following year with a 48-6 victory over Benedictine.
Dowling played briefly in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
and Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
. He was drafted in the 11th round of the 1969 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
, but cut in training camp. He had two touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
passes and three rushing touchdowns during his NFL career.
The character B.D., in the Doonesbury
Doonesbury
Doonesbury is a comic strip by American cartoonist Garry Trudeau, that chronicles the adventures and lives of an array of characters of various ages, professions, and backgrounds, from the President of the United States to the title character, Michael Doonesbury, who has progressed from a college...
comic strip, was originally based on Dowling, a Yale classmate of cartoonist Garry Trudeau
Garry Trudeau
Garretson Beekman "Garry" Trudeau is an American cartoonist, best known for the Doonesbury comic strip.-Background and education:...
.
Dowling is currently an insurance industry consultant who works with a venture capitalist in the Boston area.