Rod Dowhower

{{Short description|American football player and coach (born 1943)}}

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

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Rod Dowhower

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1943|4|15}}

| birth_place = Ord, Nebraska, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| alma_mater =

| player_years1 = 1963–1965

| player_team1 = San Diego State

| player_positions = Quarterback

| coach_years1 = 1966

| coach_team1 = San Diego State (GA)

| coach_years2 = 1967

| coach_team2 = San Diego State (QB/WR)

| coach_years3 = 1968–1972

| coach_team3 = San Diego State (OC)

| coach_years4 = 1973

| coach_team4 = St. Louis Cardinals (QB/WR)

| coach_years5 = 1974–1975

| coach_team5 = UCLA (OC)

| coach_years6 = 1976

| coach_team6 = Boise State (OC)

| coach_years7 = 1977–1978

| coach_team7 = Stanford (WR)

| coach_years8 = 1979

| coach_team8 = Stanford

| coach_years9 = 1980

| coach_team9 = Denver Broncos (OC)

| coach_years10 = 1981–1982

| coach_team10 = Denver Broncos (WR)

| coach_years11 = 1983–1984

| coach_team11 = St. Louis Cardinals (OC/QB)

| coach_years12 = 1985–1986

| coach_team12 = Indianapolis Colts

| coach_years13 = 1987–1989

| coach_team13 = Atlanta Falcons (OC)

| coach_years14 = 1990–1992

| coach_team14 = Washington Redskins (QB)

| coach_years15 = 1993

| coach_team15 = Washington Redskins (OC)

| coach_years16 = 1994

| coach_team16 = Cleveland Browns (QB)

| coach_years17 = 1995–1996

| coach_team17 = Vanderbilt

| coach_years18 = 1997–1998

| coach_team18 = New York Giants (QB)

| coach_years19 = 1999–2001

| coach_team19 = Philadelphia Eagles (OC)

| overall_record = 9–23–1 (college)
5–24 (NFL)

| bowl_record =

| tournament_record =

| championships =

• Super Bowl champion (XXVI)

| awards =

| coaching_records =

}}

Rodney Douglas Dowhower (born April 15, 1943) is a former American football player and coach. He was the head coach at Stanford University and Vanderbilt University; in between he was the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL).

A graduate of Santa Barbara High School, Dowhower quarterbacked the Dons football team to the CIF Southern Section 4-A Division championship in 1960, defeating Centennial High School of Compton 19–6 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.{{cite web|url=https://sbroundtable.org/hall-of-fame/inductees/athletes/rod-dowhower/ |work=Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table |location=(Santa Barbara, California) |title=Rod Dowhower - Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table |date=January 29, 2023}} Dowhower went on to star at San Diego State and later became an assistant for his coach Don Coryell, serving as Aztecs offensive coordinator for five seasons.{{cite web|url=https://goaztecs.com/honors/hall-of-fame/rod-dowhower/41 |work=San Diego State University Hall of Fame |location=(San Diego, California) |title=Rod Dowhower (2004) - Hall of Fame |date=January 29, 2023}} When Coryell left to become head coach of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1973, Dowhower followed him and served one season as wide receivers coach. Returning to the college ranks, Dowhower served as offensive coordinator at UCLA for two seasons under Dick Vermeil, then spent one season in the same role at Boise State.

In 1977, Dowhower became wide receivers coach for Stanford under new head coach Bill Walsh. After two seasons on staff, Dowhower was promoted to head coach at Stanford on January 9, 1979,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=y_JVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BuIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6625%2C2428848 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=UPI |title=Dowhower wants Stanford exciting |date=January 10, 1979 |page=3C}} a day after Walsh announced his departure to lead the NFL's San Francisco 49ers,[https://www.nytimes.com/1979/01/10/archives/bill-walsh-is-named-49er-coach.html "Bill Walsh Is Named 49er Coach," The Associated Press (AP), Tuesday, January 9, 1979.] Retrieved November 20, 2020{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=y_JVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BuIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2817%2C2420138 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Walsh gets pact worth $1 million from the 49ers |title=UPI |date=January 10, 1979 |page=1C}} After leading the Cardinal to a 5–5–1 record in 1979, he left in January 1980 to become the offensive coordinator for the NFL's Denver Broncos under head coach Red Miller.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZP1jAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KPkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3144%2C2344542 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Card coach resigns |date=January 24, 1980 |page=30 }}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=35xjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5OEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6761%2C6383397 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=wire service reports |title=Dowhower suddenly leaves Stanford for NFL |date=January 24, 1980 |page=3B}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AbgzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0zIHAAAAIBAJ&pg=3572%2C4094541|work=Lodi News-Sentinel |location=(California) |agency=UPI |title=Dowhower resigns as Stanford football coach |date=January 24, 1980 |page=18}} With a change in ownership in February 1981, Dan Reeves became the head coach the following month;{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=evlLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cO4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4933%2C4027929 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Red is out, Reeves in at Denver |date=March 10, 1981 |page=19}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ROgNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qW0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6476%2C1340424 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |last=Reid |first=Ron |title=Miller out, Reeves in as Broncos coach |date=March 10, 1981 |page=13}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=u0pTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XYMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5643%2C2623653 |work=Deseret News |location=(Salt Lake City, Utah) |agency=Associated Press |title=Reeves hired as new Bronco coach |date=March 11, 1981 |page=G2}} Dowhower stayed on staff as the receivers coach.

Dowhower was later the head coach for two seasons at Vanderbilt (1995, 1996), but won just four games for a career college football record of {{winpct|9|23|1|record=y}}. Previously, he was the head coach of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts for two years (1985, 1986), where he tallied a record of {{winpct|5|24|record=y}}, and was fired after losing the first thirteen games in 1986.

Dowhower attended San Diego State University, where he played quarterback for the Aztecs. He served as an assistant coach at San Diego State, UCLA, and Boise State. Dowhower was an assistant coach for seven NFL teams: the St. Louis Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, Washington Redskins, Cleveland Browns (under Bill Belichick), New York Giants, and the Philadelphia Eagles.