Ras-I Luis Dowling ( ; born May 9, 1988) is a former

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 ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly dif ...

who is currently the cornerbacks coach for

William & Mary Tribe football The William & Mary Tribe are a college football team representing the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. William & Mary competes in the Colonial Athletic Association of the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision. ...

. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. He has also spent time with the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders.

Early years

Dowling was born in Chesapeake, Virginia. He attended Deep Creek High School in Chesapeake, where he played defensive back, wide receiver, and some

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

. As a senior, he recorded 60

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...

and two

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team ...

s as a defensive back. As a receiver he had 14 receptions for 255 yards and four

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

College career

Dowling attended the University of Virginia. As a freshman in 2007 Dowling played in 12 games, recording 44 tackles and two interceptions. As a sophomore in 2008 he started nine of 11 games. He finished the season with 43 tackles and a team-leading three interceptions. In 2009 Ras-I Dowling was voted All-ACC second team. He was also awarded ACC Defensive Player of the week vs. Indiana with nine tackles and the first sack of his career. He ended the season with three interceptions. Dowling was voted 2010 Pre-season All-ACC selection and second team All-American for the first time in his career.

Professional career

Pre-draft

New England Patriots

Dowling was selected with the first pick of the second round (33rd overall) by the New England Patriots in the 2011 NFL Draft. Dowling played two games for the Patriots in the 2011 season before injuring his hip in Week 2 against San Diego. On October 29, 2011, the Patriots placed him on Injured Reserve, ending his 2011 season. On October 26, 2012, Dowling was placed on injured reserve with a torn thigh muscle, ending his 2012 season. On August 28, 2013, the Patriots released Dowling as part of their roster cutdown to 75 players.

New York Jets

The New York Jets signed Dowling to the practice squad on October 23, 2013. He was released on August 24, 2014.

Oakland Raiders

On September 1, 2014, Dowling was signed to the Raiders' practice squad. On December 13, 2014, the Oakland Raiders signed Dowling to the active roster. On September 1, 2015, he was released by the Raiders.

Carolina Panthers

On November 23, 2015, Dowling was signed to the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

' practice squad. On February 7, 2016, Dowling's Panthers played in

Super Bowl 50 Super Bowl 50 was an American football game to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2015 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) cha ...

. In the game, the Panthers fell to the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

by a score of 24–10.

Coaching career

On January 14, 2019, William & Mary head football coach

Mike London Michael Wilson London Sr. (born October 9, 1960) is the current head football coach for the William & Mary Tribe football program at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He is a former defensive back and associate head coa ...

hired Dowling to serve as the cornerbacks coach for the William & Mary Football team.

References

External links

Carolina Panthers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowling, Ras-I 1988 births Living people Sportspeople from Chesapeake, Virginia Players of American football from Virginia American football cornerbacks American football safeties Virginia Cavaliers football players New England Patriots players New York Jets players Oakland Raiders players William & Mary Tribe football coaches