Williamsburg, KY – Coach Tom Dowling, the founder of Cumberlands' football, passed away on Sunday after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 77 years old. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, January 11, 2018, at the John L. Hill Chapel on the campus of Georgetown College.

Dowling played and coached football in the Mid-South Conference at Georgetown College. He then served as head coach of the Tigers from 1973-76, sporting a 23-14-1 all-time record. Following his time at his alma mater, Dowling departed to coach Liberty Baptist College where he was named Small College Coach of the Year. After and seven-year stint and helping transition Liberty from NAIA to NCAA Division II, he would leave and head to Williamsburg.

His next coaching step was to help Cumberland College, now University of the Cumberlands, reinstate football and serve as the head coach from 1983-95. During his time with the then Indians, now Patriots, Dowling was three times named Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year three times. The Indians won two conference championships under Dowling in 1987 and 1988, which included an undefeated 10-0 regular season in 1988. The team participated in the NAIA National Football Championship playoffs under Dowling, who was also named NAIA District 32 Coach of the Year in '88. He retired from Cumberland ranking ninth in total wins among NAIA active football coaches.  Over his career at UC, Dowling led the then Indians to a record of 55-55.

After retiring from Cumberlands following the 1995 season, Dowling became the MSC's first commissioner. He helped the conference expand from the initial seven members to nine full and affiliate members upon his retirement in 2002.

"Tom Dowling left a huge imprint on the Mid-South Conference, both as a football coach and as commissioner," current MSC Commissioner Eric Ward said. "Personally and professionally, I considered Tom to be a mentor and a friend."

For his service to the Mid-South, the MSC Administrative Council unanimously approved the naming of the conference's football championship trophy to the Tom Dowling Mid-South Conference Football Championship Trophy.

Dowling concluded his coaching career with 111 wins, including 11 winning seasons.

Dowling was inducted into the Georgetown Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005 and into the Cumberlands Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012. His 1988 MSC Championship team was also inducted into the Cumberlands' Hall of Fame in 1998.

UC Athletic Director Chris Kraftick commented, "Never knew Coach Dowling personally but I know how highly Lana speaks of him. His impact on UC Football and the MSC will be everlasting."

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