| Gene McDowell |
Full Name: Ephram Eugene McDowell
Born: July 4, 1940, Quincy, Fla.
Died: January 26, 2021, Quincy, Fla.
School: Waycross High School in Waycross, Georgia
Legacy Bricks: Legacy Walk Map Link
1985 Football HOF - Loc 39
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| Click On Photo To Enlarge |
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| FSU Career |
| Football | |
Year No Pos Hgt Wgt Cl Ltr Hometown 1960 63 G 5-11 191 So * Waycross, GA 1961 63 G 5-11 184 Jr * Waycross, GA 1962 63 G 5-11 195 Sr * Waycross, GA |
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| Coaches & Administrators | |
C
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| All-American Awards |
| Football |
Year Award 1962 Associated Press - 3rd Team All-American |
| Member of the FSU Hall of Fame |
| Elected into the FSU Hall of Fame in 1985 |
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Gene McDowell came to Florida State from Waycross, Georgia and stayed to become one of the Seminoles' greatest linebackers. McDowell played guard and linebacker from 1960 through 1962. He was captain
of the 1962 Seminoles and that season was named to AP's third team All-America, the first FSU player to be so highly honored. In '62, McDowell was named the team's MVP and Florida's College Player of
the Year. He also played in the North-South All-Star game. Following graduation, McDowell coached at FSU in 1968-69, then moved to Kansas State for four years before returning to Tallahassee where
he coached the Tribe linebackers from 1974 to 1984. In 1985, he was named head coach at Central Florida. As player and coach Gene McDowell has well represented the garnet and gold. Obituary for Ephram Eugene McDowell Published by the Tallahassee Democrat on Jan. 26, 2021 Former Seminole player, assistant coach Gene McDowell passes away. By Jim Henry, Tallahassee Democrat Florida State defensive coaches Gene McDowell and Jim Gladden shared an office in the Moore Athletics Center in the mid-1970s. Often, McDowell - known for his toughness and dry wit - eyed Gladden across the desk and mentioned he had one nerve left when he walked into their office. "He'd say, 'And dadgummit if you didn't step on it,' " Gladden said and laughed. "Gene was a man of integrity. He was tough but he cared about his players. I have a lot of great feelings for him." McDowell, the former FSU All-American linebacker and assistant coach who later served as athletics director and head coach at Central Florida, died Tuesday morning following a lengthy battle with leukemia. He was 81. Bobby Bowden recalled McDowell when he was an accomplished high school player in Waycross, Georgia. McDowell signed with FSU in 1959, played on its freshman team and was a two-way star (guard and linebacker) on varsity (1960-62). He was FSU's first All-American when he was named to the AP's third-team All-America squad as a senior linebacker in 1962 under Bill Peterson. Twelve years later - which included a stint at Kansas State - McDowell returned to FSU as an assistant coach under Darrell Mudra. Along with Gladden and Bob Harbison, the trio was retained by Bowden in 1976 when he was hired from West Virginia. "Gene played a big role in our success," Bowden said. "He was tough as nails, as tough as anybody you could find. But he did an excellent job, and was an excellent coach for us." McDowell developed many of the program's top linebackers during that era, including Reggie Herring, Paul Piurowski and Jesse Solomon, a walk-on from Madison County who later earned a scholarship and played in the NFL. "Mac was tough but he was fair," Solomon said. "He said what he believed and believed what he said. He was one of the first coaches who saw my ability and gave me a chance. Mac was alright." McDowell coached at FSU until 1985, when he was hired as the head coach and athletics director at Central Florida and saved a then-Division II program from extinction. McDowell is still the winningest head coach in UCF history with an 86-61 record. He led the Knights to three NCAA playoff appearances (1987, 1990, 1993) and advanced to the Division II semifinals in 1987 and Division I-AA semifinals in 1990. McDowell won the Eddie Robinson Coach of Year award in 1990. In 2015, the school endowed a scholarship in McDowell's name that is presented to a football player each year. McDowell was also a deeply private person, hence the nickname "Iceman." His loyalty to family and friends was absolute. He was inducted into the FSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1985. He also coached the Tallahassee Thunder in the af2 - the Arena Football League's developmental league - in the early 2000s. "He was a man of few words," said wife Peggy. "I never heard him say anything bad about anyone." She added her husband was "one tough cookie" as he fought leukemia for nearly 19 years. McDowell, who lived in Quincy, also enjoyed his routine that included golf at The Golf Club of Quincy and weekly lunches with coaches and friends at the Wilderness Cabin Cafe on Capital Circle. The groups were large and the conversation lively. "Gene was an outstanding guy," Gladden said. "He was a Seminole through-and-through. His teammates would say he was the toughest guy they ever played with. When he coached here, he was a guy that demanded the very best you had. He said you will play on effort and performance - and not potential. "Gene was like a brother to me and is going to be missed."
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| FSU Statistics |
| Football |
Season Statistics
Defense
| Tackles | Sacks | Fumble | Pass Defense | Blkd | PAT Attempts | | | |
Year GP | ua a Tot tfl-yds | no-yds | ff fr-yds-td | int-yds-td qbh brup | kick | kick rsh rcv | fg | saf dxp | td | pts
---------|----------------------|----------|--------------|---------------------|------|-----------------|--------|---------|----|----
1960 10 | 0 0 0 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
1961 9 | 73 24 97 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 1- 0- 0 | 2- 7- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
1962 10 | 0 0 0 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 1- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 1 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
---------|----------------------|----------|--------------|---------------------|------|-----------------|--------|---------|----|----
Tot 29 | 73 24 97 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 2- 0- 0 | 2- 7- 0 0 0 | 1 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
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Offense/Kick and Punt Returns
| Rushing | Receiving | Passing | Kick Returns | Punt Returns | all
Year GP | no yds avg td lg | no yds avg td lg | cmp- att-int yds td lg | no yds avg td lg | no yds avg td lg | purp
---------|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----
1960 10 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0- 0 - 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0
1961 9 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0- 0 - 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 7
1962 10 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0- 0 - 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0
---------|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----
Tot 29 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 7
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| Football |
Game Participation
| Starts
1960 | GP Off Def
----------------------------|--------------
Sep 17 Richmond | 1
Sep 24 Florida | 1
Oct 1 Wake Forest | 1
Oct 8 Citadel | 1
Oct 15 Mississippi Southern | 1
Oct 22 William & Mary | 1
Oct 29 Kentucky | 1
Nov 4 Miami | 1
Nov 12 Houston | 1
Nov 19 Auburn | 1
----------------------------|--------------
Tot | 10 0 0
| Starts
1961 | GP Off Def
----------------------------|--------------
Sep 16 George Washington | 1 LG LG
Sep 30 Florida | 1 LG LG
Oct 7 Mississippi | 1
Oct 14 Georgia | 1
Oct 21 Richmond | 1
Nov 4 Kentucky | 1 LG LG
Nov 11 Citadel | 1
Nov 18 Mississippi Southern | 1 LG LG
Nov 25 Houston | 1
----------------------------|--------------
Tot | 9 4 4
| Starts
1962 | GP Off Def
----------------------------|--------------
Sep 15 Citadel | 1 RG RG
Sep 22 Kentucky | 1 RG RG
Sep 29 Furman | 1 RG RG
Oct 5 Miami | 1 RG RG
Oct 20 Georgia | 1 RG RG
Oct 27 Virginia Tech | 1 RG RG
Nov 3 Houston | 1 RG RG
Nov 10 Georgia Tech | 1 RG RG
Nov 17 Florida | 1 RG RG
Nov 24 Auburn | 1 RG RG
----------------------------|--------------
Tot | 10 10 10
----------------------------|--------------
Career Tot | 29 14 14
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| Football |
Game Statistics
| Tackles | Sacks | Fumble | Pass Defense | Blkd | PAT Attempts | | | |
1960 | ua a Tot tfl-yds | no-yds | ff fr-yds-td | int-yds-td qbh brup | kick | kick rsh rcv | fg | saf dxp | td | pts
----------------------------|----------------------|----------|--------------|---------------------|------|-----------------|--------|---------|----|----
Sep 24 Florida | 6 1 7 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
Oct 8 Citadel | 4 0 4 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
Oct 15 Mississippi Southern | 1 1 2 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
Oct 22 William & Mary | 4 3 7 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
Nov 4 Miami | 3 3 6 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
----------------------------|----------------------|----------|--------------|---------------------|------|-----------------|--------|---------|----|----
Tot | 18 8 26 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
| Tackles | Sacks | Fumble | Pass Defense | Blkd | PAT Attempts | | | |
1961 | ua a Tot tfl-yds | no-yds | ff fr-yds-td | int-yds-td qbh brup | kick | kick rsh rcv | fg | saf dxp | td | pts
----------------------------|----------------------|----------|--------------|---------------------|------|-----------------|--------|---------|----|----
Sep 30 Florida | 5 6 11 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
Oct 21 Richmond | 0 0 0 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 1- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
Nov 4 Kentucky | 4 3 7 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
Nov 11 Citadel | 5 1 6 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
Nov 18 Mississippi Southern | 17 1 18 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 1- 0- 0 | 1- 7- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
Nov 25 Houston | 10 0 10 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
----------------------------|----------------------|----------|--------------|---------------------|------|-----------------|--------|---------|----|----
Tot | 41 11 52 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 1- 0- 0 | 2- 7- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
| Tackles | Sacks | Fumble | Pass Defense | Blkd | PAT Attempts | | | |
1962 | ua a Tot tfl-yds | no-yds | ff fr-yds-td | int-yds-td qbh brup | kick | kick rsh rcv | fg | saf dxp | td | pts
----------------------------|----------------------|----------|--------------|---------------------|------|-----------------|--------|---------|----|----
Oct 5 Miami | 6 3 9 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
Oct 20 Georgia | 5 4 9 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 1- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
Nov 3 Houston | 9 8 17 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
Nov 17 Florida | 0 0 0 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 0- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 1 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
----------------------------|----------------------|----------|--------------|---------------------|------|-----------------|--------|---------|----|----
Tot | 20 15 35 0.0- 0 | 0.0- 0 | 0 1- 0- 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 1 | 0- 0 0 0 | 0- 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0
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| Rushing | Receiving | Passing | Kick Returns | Punt Returns | all
1960 | no yds avg td lg | no yds avg td lg | cmp- att-int yds td lg | no yds avg td lg | no yds avg td lg | purp
----------------------------|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----
Sep 24 Florida | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | - 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 | 0 0 0.0 0 |
Oct 8 Citadel | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | - 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 | 0 0 0.0 0 |
Oct 15 Mississippi Southern | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | - 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 | 0 0 0.0 0 |
Oct 22 William & Mary | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | - 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 | 0 0 0.0 0 |
Nov 4 Miami | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | - 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 | 0 0 0.0 0 |
----------------------------|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----
Tot | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0
| Rushing | Receiving | Passing | Kick Returns | Punt Returns | all
1961 | no yds avg td lg | no yds avg td lg | cmp- att-int yds td lg | no yds avg td lg | no yds avg td lg | purp
----------------------------|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----
Sep 30 Florida | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | - 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 | 0 0 0.0 0 |
Oct 21 Richmond | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | - 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 | 0 0 0.0 0 |
Nov 4 Kentucky | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | - 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 | 0 0 0.0 0 |
Nov 11 Citadel | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | - 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 | 0 0 0.0 0 |
Nov 18 Mississippi Southern | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | - 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 | 0 0 0.0 0 |
Nov 25 Houston | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | - 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 | 0 0 0.0 0 |
----------------------------|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----
Tot | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0
| Rushing | Receiving | Passing | Kick Returns | Punt Returns | all
1962 | no yds avg td lg | no yds avg td lg | cmp- att-int yds td lg | no yds avg td lg | no yds avg td lg | purp
----------------------------|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----
Oct 5 Miami | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | - 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 | 0 0 0.0 0 |
Oct 20 Georgia | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | - 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 | 0 0 0.0 0 |
Nov 3 Houston | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | - 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 | 0 0 0.0 0 |
Nov 17 Florida | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | - 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 | 0 0 0.0 0 |
----------------------------|----------------------|----------------------|--------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----
Tot | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0- 0- 0 0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0 0 0.0 0 | 0
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