On Jan. 27, senior running back Trent Dowdell made the call to verbally commit to Emory and Henry’s football program.
This comes after football’s lifelong force in not only his life, but also in his whole family, has sculpted a sports dynasty.
“My dad played in college and my brother played [at Emory and Henry] for five years,” said Trent, “so I know what I’m getting myself into.”
Trent earned several awards this year, including Tri-Cities Player of the Year, making the Elite 11 team, and WJHL’s People’s Choice Award, making it his most decorated season yet.
Combined with his family’s legacy and his own, as well as having an amazing season, has helped put him at the top of Emory’s list. However, that notability only comes after several years of hard work, as noted by his father.
“I really gained a lot of newfound respect for him over the last four years because I’ve just watched how hard he’s worked and I really respect that as [both as coach and a dad],” said THS football coach and English teacher Derek Dowdell.
The father-son relationship has evolved over the many years of their football careers. From throwing in the backyard when Trent was young, to playing the last four years with his dad by his side, the sport has worked as a force pushing them closer to one another.
“After you score, that’s the first person to come hug you off the field and congratulate you,” said Trent. “It’s pretty cool.”
This not only had an impact on Trent, but also on Coach Dowdell. After being able to coach both his sons, mentoring them and standing back and watching them shine, he’s found that now is the right time for him to step down as they too move on to greater things.
“Our last game, we sat together on the sideline as the clock ticked down, and as it turned out it was ticking down on both of our careers,” said Dowdell. “Which also made it feel like it was a natural time to move on to a different phase of my career too.”
Even as both Dowdells move on, Trent still won’t be on the field without his family. After playing his last four seasons with his father by his side, he will now be joined by his brother, Trevor Dowdell, as one of his new coaches at Emory.
Trent has spent the last five years watching his brother play at Emory and Henry, so not only is he familiar with the school and football program, he also already has relationships with the coaches and players.
With 19 of the 22 starters returning, his main goal as a freshman is to show his “commitment to the team and [his] hard working abilities to show that even if [he’s] not getting playing time as a freshman [he] can be a valuable resource as a sophomore or junior.”
