RAY DOWDY PASSES AWAY

[SptsEd]

Ray Dowdy died Wednesday in the Bastrop area. He had just taken an Asst. Principal job on Monday in Rusk and was going back and forth. He is the former AD/head football coach at Mabank. Our prayers go out to the Dowdy family.

[RETIREDFAN1]

Ray was one of the funniest people you could ever be around. He will be missed. Prayers for his family from the Piney Woods.

[CAP]

Ray Dowdy was my head coach at Tatum my sophmore year. He was the head coach at Tatum several years in the late 70's and early 80's.

 

He had a definate love of life, he was quite a character....and that is a huge understatement.

 

Just a little background on Ray, he played on the defensive line for UT. He was also on the Chicago Bears roster for a year or two.

 

My prayers go out to his family. I salute you coach D....we loved playing for you.

[RETIREDFAN1]

Coach Dowdy played on a state championship team in high school when he was at Austin Reagan. He also played for the National Championship team at the University of Texas. He was an All-SWC defensive tackle. Coach Dowdy coached at Tatum, Henderson, Del Valle, Austin Anderson, West Texas State, Mabank, and Huntsville.

[runthediveplease]

Fond memories of staying up all night in Tyler with Ray waiting for our game films to be processed. A really great guy. Heaven is a lot funnier place today. We will truly miss Ray.

[SptsEd]

Saw this funeral information on oldcoach.com

 

Saturday night, July 29

Family and Friends will be at Crawford A. Crim Funeral Home in Henderson- 6:30

 

Gravside Service Tatum City Cemetery Sunday, July 30 at 3:00 PM

[CRMT]

I just saw this and I know that there are some things that are on here that are not true. Please tell me that this is not true.

[RETIREDFAN1]

LONGHORNS FOOTBALL

Ray Dowdy: 1950-2006

Former Longhorn tackle dies

 

By Cedric Golden

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Saturday, July 29, 2006

 

Former University of Texas defensive tackle Ray Dowdy, who played for the Longhorns' 1970 national championship team, died Wednesday of a heart attack. He was 56.

 

A visitation was held at Harrell Funeral Home on Friday night. Another has been scheduled for 6:30 p.m. today at Crawford-Crim and Bryan Funeral Home in Henderson. Graveside services will be at 3 p.m. Sunday at Tatum Cemetery in Tatum.

 

 

 

Dowdy, a junior-college transfer, teamed with fellow defensive tackle Greg Ploetz to earn first-team all-Southwest Conference honors in 1971. It would be 28 more seasons before two Longhorn tackles (current NFL Pro Bowlers Shaun Rogers and Casey Hampton) each received the first-team nod from conference coaches in the same season.

 

Dowdy attended Reagan High and was a high school All-American on the 1967 team that captured the Class 4A championship, defeating Abilene Cooper 20-19.

 

Upon graduating from high school, he played at Tyler Junior College before returning to Austin to play for coach Darrell Royal's 1970 team that finished 10-1 and won a share of the national championship.

 

Upon the end of his playing days, Dowdy worked as a high school football coach, teacher, assistant principal and athletic director, making stops at local schools Del Valle and Anderson.

 

He is survived by his wife, Sandra, three daughters and a son. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Christopher House in Austin.

[TJC_fan]

Originally posted by CRMT

I just saw this and I know that there are some things that are on here that are not true. Please tell me that this is not true.

 

What are you referring to?

[misterbball05]

Originally posted by TJC_fan

Originally posted by CRMT

I just saw this and I know that there are some things that are on here that are not true. Please tell me that this is not true.

 

What are you referring to?

 

I would answer your question but I make it a policy not to talk about those who are deceased. Besides, I might get banned.

[RETIREDFAN1]

Former Mabank coach Dowdy dies

Dead at 55, returning from Austin

By Kerry Yancey

Monitor Staff Writer

AUSTIN–Former Mabank High School athletic director Ray Dowdy was found dead in his vehicle late Wednesday, the apparent victim of a massive heart attack.

Texas Department of Public Safety troopers discovered Dowdy in or near the city of Bastrop, located just east of Austin, best friend Kenneth Henderson confirmed late Thursday.

“DPS supposedly found him around 11 (p.m.), and his wife was notified about 1 a.m.,” Henderson said.

Dowdy, 55, signed a contract to be the assistant principal at Rusk High School Tuesday, and was getting started on moving from Huntsville (where he was the assistant principal) to Rusk, Henderson said.

“I talked to him yesterday (Wednesday), and he told me he was going to Austin to buy a new washer and dryer for his daughter,” Henderson said.

Dowdy was driving when he was stricken, but it is unknown if he was involved in any kind of collision, Henderson said.

Funeral services had not been set at presstime late Thursday, but Henderson expected they would be held somewhere in the Austin area.

A huge offensive lineman, Dowdy won a state championship in high school (on the Childress High School team that also won the mythical national championship), won a national junior college championship at Tyler Junior College, and was a member of the 1969 University of Texas Longhorns national championship team.

Dowdy came to Mabank High School in 1997 as the defensive coordinator, and moved to the head coach’s position in 1999. He served as head coach and athletic director until the fall of 2003, when he resigned.

Bruceville-Eddy head coach Brent Watkins, who served as defensive coordinator five years under Dowdy, remembered him as “a guy who always had your back, no matter what the situation was.”

“He made it a fun environment,” Watkins said. “He lifted everybody’s spirits.”

Former assistant Randy Poole was overcome with emotion when he talked about Dowdy.

“He seems like a tough guy on the outside, but when you got to know him, you found what a great guy he was,” Pool said. “He did a lot for people, and did a lot for the kids – he always put them first, and he didn’t want credit for it.”

“His biggest strongpoint, as an assistant (coach), was he took everything on himself,” Watkins said. “He was our protector-parent.”

“I looked up to him,” Henderson said. “He would give you the shirt off his back.

“People who didn’t know him saw this big barrel-chested guy who screamed,” Henderson added. “He never turned his back on a kid, a coach, or anyone.”

Henderson said he and Dowdy had forged nearly a father-son relationship over the years.

“Without a doubt, he was the most competitive person I’ve ever been around,” Henderson said. “I don’t think you could find a better man.”

[B_town4Life]

I did not personaly know the man, But my heart goes out to his family and friends. They will be in my prayers.

[hogwash]

yes the funeral was in Tatum july the 30, last sunday.