DOWD, Vince

Photo courtesy: Telegraph Herald

DOWD, Vince. (Seattle, WA-Dubuque, IA, Apr. 23, 1965). Dowd joined the coaching staff at LORAS COLLEGE in 1941 and in his first season led the team to a 15-5 record. When Loras and the University of Dubuque suspended football in 1943, he returned to LORAS ACADEMY as the head football coach before returning to Loras College in 1944. (1) Dowd's basketball teams had winning seasons in 1944-1945 and 1945-1946 with records of 19-8 and 18-8 respectively.

Loras reached the NAIA National Tournament in 1946-1947 with a season record of 24-5, the five losses coming from a total of thirty points. Loras reached the national finals again in 1948-1949 and repeated in 1949-1950 in the National Catholic Tournament. Dowd's second best season occurred in 1950-1951 with a win-loss record of 23-7.

In his career at Loras (1941-1959), Dowd's basketball teams won 302 games and lost 169. He helped develop six of the seven members of the Loras 1,000 Point Club. He also coached baseball from 1950-1959 with his teams winning 98 games and losing 45. He served four seasons as the head football coach and was often called to serve as an official.

All he accomplished came by the time he was 47 years old. He was the father of all-state WAHLERT CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL basketball star, Pat Dowd, and served as the first president of the Wahlert Golden Eagles Booster Club. (2)

In January, 1984 Dowd was one of four men honored by Loras College for their contribution to the school athletics since 1940. A previous group of eleven players were inducted in 1983 from the pre-1940 era. (3)

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Source:

1. "Vince Dowd to Coach Academy Club This Fall, Telegraph-Herald, August 22, 1943, p. 11

1. Lagerstrom, Hal, "More Than Coach Lost with Death of Dowd," Telegraph Herald, May 4, 1965, p. 13

2. "Dignitaries Will Take Part in NCBT," Telegraph Herald, January 3, 1984, p. 40