Alan Lowry

Alan D. Lowry (born November 21, 1950) is a former National Football League (NFL) and college football coach, best known as the architect of the Music City Miracle.

He coached for several teams over more than 25 years, winning one Super Bowl and going to another.

In his role as punter, he kicked an 82-yard punt against Baylor that year, tying the school record set by Jack Collins in 1959.

He was 2nd Team All-State in football, led his team to the 1968 State quarterfinals, and was All-District in baseball.

He also lettered in basketball.

Lowry played back-up quarterback and defensive back on the freshman team.

The next year, he played defensive back for the varsity.

He played in eight games that year despite injuries, including the 1970 Cotton Bowl.

That season Texas won the Southwest Conference Championship and the national championship.

For his junior year, Lowry again was a starter at defensive back.

He was also the team's punter.

That season, he played in every game, led the team in interceptions, and made the All Southwest Conference Team.

The Longhorns were again Southwest Conference Champions, and lost to Penn State in the Cotton Bowl to finish the season ranked #12.

In addition to playing football, Lowry was also a starter for the baseball team in 1971 and 1973.

He missed part of the 1971 season, when he played in the outfield, with an ankle injury he suffered waterskiing.

Immediately after the 1972 Cotton Bowl, Coach Royal told Lowry not to plan on playing baseball because he would be moving to quarterback and would need to focus on spring training.

Assistant Coach Fred Akers moved from coaching the defensive backfield to the offensive backfield and he took Lowry with him.

The following season, he started every game despite an injury to his elbow and forearm during the Utah State game.

He led the Longhorns to a 10–1 record, including wins over #4 Alabama and #17 Arkansas, with the only loss coming to #2 Oklahoma.

That one loss cost them a chance at the national championship.

He again was named to the All-Conference team, this time as quarterback while continuing to be the team's punter.

He skipped the 1972 season to participate in spring football drills, missing his only chance to go to the College World Series.

He did manage to play summer baseball for the Austin Aztecas in 1972.

Prior to coaching he played football at the University of Texas, where he won a national championship and three conference championships, was named to the All-Conference team twice at two different positions and was named the 1973 Cotton Bowl Offensive MVP.

At the University of Texas, Lowry was a two-sport athlete at Texas and a three-way player for the football team.

During his sophomore and junior seasons he played defensive back, but in his senior year he was the team's starting quarterback.

He was also the team's starting punter in his junior and senior years.

He's the last Longhorn to earn All-Southwest Conference honors at two different positions, and one of few players to ever do so at all.

Heavily recruited out of Irving High School where he played quarterback, he chose Texas over Oklahoma and Texas Christian.

In the 1973 Cotton Bowl he rushed for 117 yards, which, at the time, was the 2nd best performance by a Texas quarterback in the Cotton Bowl.

Running back Roosevelt Leaks also ran for more than 100 yards in that game, making it the first time Texas had two 100-yard rushers in the same bowl game.

Lowry, who was fighting a 104 degree fever that day, scored the game-winning touchdown on a controversial 34 yard touchdown run in which he stepped very close to, if not onto, the sideline at the 10 yard line.

As a result, Lowry was named the Offensive Outstanding Player for the game and the Longhorns finished the season ranked #3 in the country.

He was a team co-captain and team MVP.

In 1973, he moved to shortstop.

He missed the start of the season with a pulled leg muscle and only played in 4 games before his season was cut short by the same injury that ended his athletic career.

He graduated with a year of eligibility left.

In the 1973 NFL draft in February of that year, Lowry was drafted in the 13th round by the New England Patriots as a quarterback.

However, in April of that year, while playing baseball for the Longhorns, he noticed pain in his arm that wouldn't go away, numbness and blue fingertips.

After first suspecting nerve damage it was determined that he had blood clots, two in his right hand and in one in his elbow, so in May of that year, he ended his career without ever playing a down in the NFL.