JAMESTOWN – Moving quickly to fill the wrestling head coach void at Jamestown Community College, Director of Athletics and Recreation George Sisson announced the hiring of Brian Dowdall Thursday afternoon.
“He has a terrific athletic background coming out of a big school in Buffalo and then onto Niagara County Community College,” said Sisson. “He then moved onto to wrestle at the University at Buffalo. He has a lot of experience in wrestling from the youth level all the way up to NCAA Division I. He’s an attention to detail kind of guy that we looked for to continue the growth of this program.”
“I was a junior college wrestler, so it was the best way that I know how to give back to that kind of athlete and student,” Dowdall said. “I love wrestling, it has been a huge part of my life and a this is a great opportunity for me to give back.”
Dowdall has an abundance of experience wrestling at the collegiate level, cutting his teeth at Niagara County Community College during the 2000-01 season as an assistant. Dowdall oversaw the maturation of the lightweights by providing instruction while also competing with the student-athletes. During his lone season with the Thunderwovles, Dowdall was apart of a team that won the NJCAA Region 3 Championship as well as having the NJCAA Region 3 Most Outstanding Wrestler.
After his season at NCCC, Dowdall spent the next 10 seasons at the University at Buffalo where he was a volunteer assistant coach, competing with the lightweights while also implementing technique and drills for the team. During his tenure, the Bulls had a dual record of 77-83-2, sent 14 wrestlers to the NCAA Division I National Championships, had 54 wrestlers earn All-MAC honors, and had the MAC Freshman of the Year during the 2003-04 season.
Dowdall would take a 10-year layoff of coaching the sport when moving out the San Diego, CA as a Senior Consultant for Sharp Health Plan from 2013-2020. In the summer of 2020, Dowdall was named the Director of National Imaging Associates in Arlington, VA, where he is still employed currently.
Looking to get back into the coaching rankings and once moving back to the area, Dowdall became a volunteer wrestling coach for the Southwestern Youth Wrestling in December of 2022, implementing technique and drills for kids in kindergarten through third grade.
Dowdall got his first experience of collegiate wrestling at NCCC where he was part of the team from 1992-94. As a member of the Thunderwolves, Dowdall was a team captain and was and All-American during the 1993-94 season in the 118 pound weight division. Dowdall graduated from NCCC in the spring of 1994 with an associate degree in liberal arts.
After his time at Niagara County, Dowdall transferred to the University at Buffalo where he was in the starting lineup in both the 118 and 126 pound division. Dowdall graduated from UB in the spring of 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics.
Dowdall will be out recruiting student-athletes for the upcoming wrestling season and will be looking for a particular wrestler throughout the process.
“You get a wide spectrum of capabilities at the junior college level,” said Dowdall. “The kind of wrestler I am looking for is someone who wants to wrestle, who wants to be here and put in the work. Once we have those kinds of guys here, everything is all in the details and we can work with them to get better.”
Coaching at the highest level of collegiate wrestling, Dowdall will look to bring that kind of mentality while coaching to help his wrestlers get to where they want to go.
“As an athlete, going from junior college to NCAA Division I, there’s a big jump that made more sense to me once I got into the coaching ranks,” Dowdall said. “I’m looking to bring the intensity and the desire to win at anything and everything we do, whether it’s a drill or sprints. That will translate into success on the mat and ultimately in life.”
