Don Michael Dowdle (December 6, 1937December 5, 1993) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

fullback and

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

and

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

. He played college football at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

Early years

Dowdle attended Graham High School, where he practiced football and track. He accepted a football scholarship from the

, becoming a starter at fullback and the team's leader in rushing yards (429 yards) as a sophomore. He was a two-way player and was also a starting

. As a senior, he was moved to halfback.

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers (first stint)

Dowdle was selected by the

in the fifteenth round (179th overall) of the

1960 NFL Draft The 1960 National Football League Draft in which NFL teams take turns selecting amateur college American football players and other first-time eligible players, was held at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia on November 30, 1959. Many players, in ...

. He was tried at fullback and eventually waived on September 13.

Dallas Cowboys

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Jan ...

, he was claimed off waivers by the

and was used for returning kickoffs. In

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wor ...

, he was switched to

and became the starter at outside linebacker for the last 6 games of the season. The next year, he started 14 games at

strongside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pla ...

. On April 30,

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

, he was traded to the

in exchange for defensive back Jim Ridlon. He was replaced in the starting lineup with Dave Edwards.

San Francisco 49ers (second stint)

Dowdle was the

' starting

middle linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

for three seasons, until 1966 when he was passed on the depth chart by

Ed Beard Edward T. "Red" Beard, (c. 1828-November 11, 1873) was a gambler and saloon keeper of the Old West. Biography Beard is the son of the man who first settled Beardstown, Illinois. Originally from Illinois, Beard settled in Virginia, and was for a ...

. On May 18,

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a draft choice (not exercised), but he refused to report to the team.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dowdle, Mike 1937 births 1993 deaths People from Young County, Texas Players of American football from Texas American football linebackers American football fullbacks Texas Longhorns football players San Francisco 49ers players Dallas Cowboys players