Lowell Eugene Killian (born September 22, 1952) is a former American football offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the University of Tennessee.

Early years

Killian attended Brandon High School, where he practiced football and

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

. He accepted a football scholarship from the University of Tennessee. As a junior, he was named a starter at

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

. As a senior, he was the starter at left tackle, before being lost for the season with a knee injury he suffered in the fourth game against the University of Kansas. He was replaced with Paul Johnson who was moved from center. In

, he competed in the

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Killian was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 16th round (413th overall) of the

1974 NFL Draft The 1974 NFL draft took place at the Americana Hotel in New York City, New York, on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams were granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks. Many experts consider the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers to have h ...

. He was a backup offensive guard. He was considered to be a very good athlete, in the season finale against the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

, he tackled linebacker Phil Villapiano from behind, after he returned a Cowboys fumble 27 yards. He was waived on August 13,

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

San Diego Chargers

On August 13,

, he was claimed off waivers by the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

. On August 19, he was released after failing his physical examination.

New Orleans Saints

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

, he was signed as a free agent by the New Orleans Saints. He was released on September 7.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Killian, Gene 1951 births Living people People from Brandon, Florida Players of American football from Hillsborough County, Florida American football offensive guards Tennessee Volunteers football players Tennessee Volunteers men's track and field athletes Dallas Cowboys players