| [[Air Force Academy football|Air Force Academy]] — No. 6 | |
| Quarterback | |
| Major: General Engineering | |
| Date of birth: August 2, 1968 | |
| Place of birth: Royston, Georgia | |
| Career history | |
|---|---|
| High school: Franklin County (GA) | |
| College(s): Air Force Academy (1986–1989) | |
| Bowl games | |
| * 1987 Freedom Bowl | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
* 2× second-team All-WAC (1987, 1988)
| |
Michael "Dee" Dowis (August 2, 1968 – August 29, 2016) was a former American college football quarterback for the United States Air Force Academy. He graduated as the NCAA's All-time leading rusher for a quarterback.
Early years[]
Dowis attended Franklin County High School in Royston, Georgia, where he practiced multiple-sports. In football, he was a starter at quarterback in a wishbone offense and led the team to the Georgia football playoffs.
He received All-state honors at shortstop in baseball. He wasn't a highly recruited athlete because of his size.
College career[]
Dowis accepted a football scholarship from the United States Air Force Academy. As a freshman in 1986, he was the third-string quarterback behind James Tomallo and Troy Calhoun. He tallied 24 carries for 39 yards, one rushing touchdown, 10-of-29 attempts for 115 yards and one passing touchdown. He felt homesick and almost transferred after the season.[1]
As a sohomore in 1987, he began the season as the backup quarterback behind Steve Letnich, but when the Falcons fell behind, 0-20, in the season opener loss (13-27) against the University of Wyoming, he replaced Letnich and never looked back. He had 18 carries for 188 yards in the 49-7 win against San Diego State University. He broke his right wrist in the season finale win (34-31) against the University of Hawaii. The injury forced him to miss the team's 33-28 loss against Arizona State University in the 1987 Freedom Bowl. He set an NCAA single-season rushing mark for quarterbacks with 1,315 yards that stood for 12 years. He finished the season with 194 carries for 1,315 yards (6.8-yard avg.), 10 rushing touchdowns, 45-of-112 attempts for 600 yards, 4 passing touchdowns and 8 interceptions.
As a junior in 1988, he had 153 carries for 972 yards (6.4-yard avg.), 12 rushing touchdowns, 41-of-96 attempts for 870 yards and 7 passing touchdowns. He also tied an NCAA record after completing 11 consecutive passes against Northwestern University.
As a senior in 1989, he became the fifth player in NCAA history to run and pass for more than 1,000 yards in a single-season. He ran for 1,286 yards with 18 touchdowns and passed for 1,285 yards with 7 scores. He also set the NCAA Division I career record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 3,612 (broken by Antwaan Randle El in 2001). Against San Diego State University, he set the Western Athletic Conference record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single-game with 249 (broken by Chad Hall on October 13, 2007) and most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single-game with 6.[2]
Dowis is regarded as one of the best option quarterbacks in NCAA history.[3] He finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1989.
Personal life[]
Dowis received an MBA from the University of West Florida in 1993. He served as a football coach on the Air Force staff in 1995.
On July 17, 1998, he was inducted into the Franklin County Sports Hall of Fame as a charter member. In 2009, he was inducted into the Air Force Academy Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2011, he was inducted into the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame.[4] He was also inducted into the North Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
He lived in Greenville, South Carolina, near Royston, Georgia, where he was born and raised. He worked as a manager for Pfizer pharmaceuticals, and was married with two children. On August 29, 2016, he died in a traffic crash accident at the age of 48.[5]
His father Leonard Dowis was a football coach at Franklin County High School. He died from a heart attack when Dowis was four-years-old.
References[]
- ↑ "Aztecs Have Wishbone to Pick With Air Force's Quarterback". Los Angeles Times. September 10, 1988. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-09-10-sp-1654-story.html. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
- ↑ "The Far West : Dowis Scores 6 Touchdowns for Air Force". Los Angeles Times. September 3, 1989. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-03-sp-2307-story.html. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
- ↑ The Sporting News article
- ↑ "Dee Dowis inducted into Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame". AF Athletics Football. April 20, 2011. http://www.goairforcefalcons.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/042011aab.html. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
- ↑ Air Force football legend Dee Dowis dies in Georgia traffic crash
External links[]
- Air Force Academy Record Book
- 1989 NCAA news
- 1989 Heisman Trophy results
- NY Times article
- Rocky Mountain News profile
Template:Air Force Falcons quarterback navbox