 Dowler on a 1961Toppstrading card | |||||||||||||||
| No. 86 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1937-10-18)October 18, 1937 (age 87) Rock Springs, Wyoming, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 224 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Cheyenne(Cheyenne, Wyoming) | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Colorado | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1959: 3rd round, 25th pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
As a player: | |||||||||||||||
As a coach: | |||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Boyd Hamilton Dowler (born October 18, 1937) is an American former professionalfootball player who was awide receiver in theNational Football League (NFL). He played 12 seasons from 1959 to 1971, 11 with theGreen Bay Packers and one with theWashington Redskins.
Born inRock Springs, Wyoming, Dowler grew up inCheyenne, where his father Walter was a high school history teacher,[1] who was also a former football coach who had played college football forWyoming.[2][3] Boyd was a three-sport athlete atCheyenne High School.[4] He playedcollege football for theColorado Buffaloes as asingle-wingquarterback under head coachDal Ward.[5][6]Dowler led theBig Seven conference in receiving as a junior in 1957, but spent more time as a passer and runner during his senior season.[2] While atColorado, he was a member ofDelta Tau Deltafraternity.
The 25th overall pick in the1959 NFL draft, Dowler was theNFL rookie of the year in1959,Vince Lombardi's first season as head coach.[7] Dowler was a two-timePro Bowler in1965 and1967, and a key contributor on the Packers dynasty in the 1960s, assisting the team to five NFL championship wins and victories inSuper BowlsI andII.[8][9]
A late hit byDallas Cowboys defensive backMike Gaechter in the end zone following a third quarter touchdown catch resulted in a shoulder injury in the1966 NFL Championship Game. Dowler aggravated the shoulder early in the first quarter of the first Super Bowl two weeks later, allowing seldom-usedMax McGee to be a significant contributor in the game with two touchdown catches. Dowler made a big impact the following year in Super Bowl II with a 62-yard touchdown reception from quarterbackBart Starr in the first half. He finished the game as the top receiver for the Packers, with two receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown.[9] Dowler is a member of theGreen Bay Packers Hall of Fame and theNFL 1960s All-Decade Team.[10]
After eleven seasons with the Packers ending in1969, Dowler played one year for theWashington Redskins in1971. He had been acquired from the Packers for the Redskins' 1971 fifth-round pick (124th overall–Jim Stillwagon) which had been obtained from theLos Angeles Rams earlier on January 28, 1971. Dowler was onGeorge Allen's coaching staff with the Rams in1970 and made the transition with him to Washington as a player-coach.[11][12]
Dowler retired with a career record of 474receptions for 7,270 yards and 40touchdowns. He led the Packers in receptions for seven seasons.[13]
Following his playing career, Dowler spent over 30 years working as an assistant coach and scout in the NFL. (He was also announced as the head coach for the Tampa Bay Outlaws of theProfessional Spring Football League in 1992, but the league folded before playing a game.) Notable positions that Dowler held included the passing game coordinator role for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1973 to 1975 and, his final stop, a scout for the Atlanta Falcons. Dowler retired as a scout in 2007.[13]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theNFL championship | |
| Super Bowl champion | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1959 | GB | 12 | 6 | 32 | 549 | 17.2 | 35 | 4 |
| 1960 | GB | 12 | 12 | 30 | 505 | 16.8 | 91 | 2 |
| 1961 | GB | 14 | 14 | 36 | 633 | 17.6 | 78 | 3 |
| 1962 | GB | 14 | 14 | 49 | 724 | 14.8 | 41 | 2 |
| 1963 | GB | 14 | 14 | 53 | 901 | 17.0 | 53 | 6 |
| 1964 | GB | 14 | 14 | 45 | 623 | 13.8 | 50 | 5 |
| 1965 | GB | 14 | 14 | 44 | 610 | 13.9 | 47 | 4 |
| 1966 | GB | 14 | 14 | 29 | 392 | 13.5 | 40 | 0 |
| 1967 | GB | 14 | 14 | 54 | 836 | 15.5 | 57 | 4 |
| 1968 | GB | 14 | 14 | 45 | 668 | 14.8 | 72 | 6 |
| 1969 | GB | 14 | 14 | 31 | 477 | 15.4 | 45 | 4 |
| 1971 | WAS | 12 | 7 | 26 | 352 | 13.5 | 30 | 0 |
| Career | 162 | 150 | 474 | 7,270 | 15.3 | 91 | 40 | |