Coach Barry Dowd

Former Texas Basketball Player and Assistant Coach Barry Dowd Passes Away At 85

Former Longhorn basketball player John Danks notified TLSN that Coach Barry Dowd passed away.

John says, “ My friend and Coach Barry Dowd passed away this week. He was a great person, very friendly, uniquely genuine and personable, and dedicated to UT Basketball. 

Coach Dowd recruited me and was a big part of our success as a team. I’ll always remember Coach as kind, positive, and a player’s coach…Never too busy, always encouraging, and loyal to the University…

Dowd is a native Texan. He was born in Dallas, Texas on March 7, 1936.

“A Celebration of Life service was held at Jeter & Son Funeral Home in Dallas (4830 W. Illinois Ave.) at 2 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 27, In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to the Northeast Arkansas Cancer Society and Northeast Arkansas Humane Society.”

Barry Dowd played for the Horns from 1954 to 1958 and was an assistant coach under Abe Lemons. During Dowd’s time as a player, he appeared in 53 games for the Longhorns.

ARTICLE By Zach Dimmitt

Dowd’s stint as an assistant came with great success, as the team secured an overall record of 110-63 during his tenure. In addition, Texas won the NIT Championship in 1978 and back-to-back Southwest Conference titles in 1978 and 1979 under Lemons’ and Dowd’s coaching expertise. 

This marked a memorable time for Dowd, as he became the President of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) in 1978, becoming the youngest coach ever to be elected as President of the organization. 

Even after his departure from UT, Dowd’s coaching days didn’t stop there. He served as the head coach at East Tennessee State University from 1982 to 1985 while also maintaining a role as the school’s Head Athletic Director during this time. 

His role in the athletic department continued after this, as Dowd served as the Senior Associate Athletic Director at Oklahoma State University from 1990 to 1994 and Athletic Director at Arkansas State University from 1996 to 2000. 

The University will remember Dowd’s role as a player and lifetime impact as a coach of Texas for years to come. 

Staff Writer for Longhorns Country

1982-1983 basketball at Texas

The Longhorn basketball team Starts 14-0, and for the first time in Longhorn basketball history, the AP ranks Texas at #5. The Horns upset the Houston team of 6′ 11″ Akeem Olajuwan and Clyde Drexler and follow this win beating Arkansas before the largest crowd ever to see a basketball game in the Southwest. It is the best start for a Longhorn basketball team since 1935. But An Injury To Wacker turns the Season Into A Horror Story that finally results in first-year Athletic Director Deloss Dodds firing Abe Lemons. 

 A sequence of events at the Arkansas game that ends in punches and Texas players involved in a fight was the final straw. On March 9th, 1982, Coach Lemons is fired by Deloss Dodds. Lemons is totally shocked. “I could not have been more shocked if you had told me I had been named governor.”

The players are stunned, and the fans are upset with the announcement. 

LaSalle Thompson threatened to leave the program and go pro if assistant coach Barry Dowd was not offered the head coaching job.  

Ray Harper transferred to Ky Wesleyan, and James Tandy moved to East Tennessee.

Jack Worthington transferred to OCU, Robt Hughes transferred, I believe to TX Wesleyan, Denard Holmes, Steve Fredrick, and Brad Olsen also left the team after Coach Lemons was fired.