Duck Dowell

{{Short description|American coach and basketball player (1912–2003)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Duck Dowell

| image = Duck_Dowell.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Dowell from the 1963 “Promenade”

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1912|8|14}}

| birth_place = Gilman City, Missouri, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2003|11|27|1912|8|14}}

| death_place = Yucca Valley, California, U.S.

| alma_mater =

| player_sport1 = Football

| player_years2 = 1929–1931

| player_team2 = NW Missouri State

| player_sport3 = Basketball

| player_years4 = 1928–1932

| player_team4 = NW Missouri State

| player_years5 = 1936–1937

| player_team5 = Denver Piggly Wigglies

| player_years6 = 1937–1938

| player_team6 = Akron Firestone Non-Skids

| player_positions = Forward / center (basketball)

| coach_sport1 = Football

| coach_years2 = 1951–1952

| coach_team2 = Pepperdine

| coach_sport3 = Basketball

| coach_years4 = 1945–1947

| coach_team4 = High school

| coach_years5 = 1947–1948

| coach_team5 = Modesto JC

| coach_years6 = 1948–1968

| coach_team6 = Pepperdine

| admin_years1 = 1955–1968

| admin_team1 = Pepperdine

| overall_record = 7–11–1 (college football)
263–263 (college basketball)

| bowl_record =

| tournament_record =

| championships = 5 conference (1950–1953, 1962)

| awards = WCAC Coach of the Year (1962)

| coaching_records =

}}

Robert Loren "Duck" Dowell (August 14, 1912 – November 27, 2003) was an American professional basketball player for the Akron Firestone Non-Skids in the United States' National Basketball League during the 1937–38 season.{{cite web | url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/nbl/players/d/dowelro01n.html| title=Duck Dowell NBL stats| publisher=Sports Reference LLC | website=Basketball Reference | accessdate=March 24, 2024}} After an All-American collegiate career at Northwest Missouri State, Dowell also competed in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) for the Denver Piggly Wigglies.{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-dec-03-me-dowell3-story.html| title=Robert 'Duck' Dowell, 91; Basketball Coach Led Pepperdine Waves to Four State Titles| work=Los Angeles Times |date = December 3, 2003|last =White |first=Lonnie| access-date=February 3, 2015}}

Dowell also served as Pepperdine University's head coach for the men's basketball and football teams. As the basketball coach, he compiled an overall record of 263 wins and 263 losses between 1948–49 and 1967–68.{{cite web | url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/duck-dowell-1.html| title=Duck Dowell coaching record| publisher=Sports Reference LLC | work=sports-reference.com | access-date=February 3, 2015}} Pepperdine won the California Collegiate Athletic Association titles for four consecutive seasons, from 1950 to 1953. His 1961–62 squad won the West Coast Conference and advanced the 1962 NCAA Tournament's West Regional semifinal round.{{cite web| url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/pepperdine/1962.html| title=1961–62 Pepperdine Waves season| publisher=Sports Reference LLC| work=sports-reference.com| access-date=February 3, 2015| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203203909/http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/pepperdine/1962.html| archive-date=February 3, 2015}} Dowell also coached the football team during the 1951 and 1952 seasons, which are described as "rebuilding" years in the school's football archive.{{cite web| url=http://www.pepperdinesports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/060310aaa.html| title=The History of Pepperdine Football| publisher=Pepperdine University| work=pepperdinesports.com| access-date=February 3, 2015| archive-date=March 3, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303231609/http://www.pepperdinesports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/060310aaa.html| url-status=dead}}