Dee Dowis

Michael "Dee" Dowis (August 2, 1968 – August 29, 2016) was an American college football quarterback for the United States Air Force Academy. He graduated as the NCAA's All-time leading rusher for a quarterback.

Dee Dowis
Air Force Academy – No. 6
PositionQuarterback
MajorGeneral Engineering
Career history
CollegeAir Force Academy (1986–1990)
Bowl games
High schoolFranklin County (GA)
Personal information
Born:(1968-08-02)August 2, 1968
Royston, Georgia
Died:August 29, 2016(2016-08-29) (aged 48)
Gwinnett County, Georgia
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight153 lb (69 kg)
Career highlights and awards

Early years

Dowis was born and grew up in Royston, Georgia. His father, Leonard Dowis, was the Franklin County High School football coach. He died of a heart attack when Dee was four years old.

Dowis attended Franklin County High School, 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 sophomore 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 accident at the age of 48.[5] Forensic toxicology reports concluded that he had a blood alcohol level of 0.21 at the time of the accident, nearly three times the legal limit in Georgia.

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References
  1. "Aztecs Have Wishbone to Pick With Air Force's Quarterback". Los Angeles Times. September 10, 1988. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
  2. "The Far West : Dowis Scores 6 Touchdowns for Air Force". Los Angeles Times. September 3, 1989. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
  3. The Sporting News article
  4. "Dee Dowis inducted into Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame". AF Athletics Football. April 20, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
  5. Air Force football legend Dee Dowis dies in Georgia traffic crash
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