“I never have liked you.”

This has become ISU boxing coach Terry Dowd’s signature catchphrase. For those unfamiliar with him, they may view this vulgar remark as a declaration of hatred. That notion would quickly be dispelled by the man himself.

“There is no reason for hatred in this world,” Dowd said. “Whether it is race, gender, sexual preference or nationality, people today should be able to look past that and just see the person for who they are.”

Instead, “I have never liked you” serves a different purpose. For those who know coach Dowd, it serves as a look into the man’s personality.

“[Coach] is a real friendly guy. He really loves giving people a hard time. I can’t count the number of times he told me I wasn’t liked,” said Ryan Allan, senior in health and human performance and a two-time national champion under Dowd’s tutelage.

Dowd’s unique personality is cited as one of his strong points by his boxers.

“One thing about Coach is that he is definitely a character. He uses a variety of different methods to coach. Sometimes he is grumpy, others, he is happy, whatever it takes to motivate us. He is truly one of a kind, and I have never met anyone else like him,” said Mike Bal, sophomore in pre-advertising.

Although he seems to be erratic now, Marge Dowd, Terry’s wife, said he has mellowed out over the years.

“If you think that he is crazy now, you should have seen him 12 years ago,” she said. “He is a completely different person compared to back then.”

Along with his affable persona, Dowd also has the credentials to prove he is a worthy coach. During his fighting career, he posted a very impressive 26-4 record and has never suffered a loss because of knockout. Equally impressive is the accomplishments reached in his 30 years at the helm. Dowd has trained 24 National Champions and 45 All-Americans, many have never donned a pair of boxing gloves before stepping foot on the ISU campus.

Relationship with his boxers

Dowd rarely brings up those gaudy statistics, instead choosing to focus on the team. He is quick to tell whoever will listen that his team is not lacking brains. Dowd has set stipulations that in order to train with the team, a minimum GPA of 2.5 is required. If the boxer hopes to compete in tournaments, the GPA must be 3.0. These high academic standards have obviously had a positive effect on the team over the years.

“I have never had one of my guys get their name in the paper for doing something stupid,” Dowd said. “I am proud of them, because not many other teams in the country can say that.”

Dowd’s genuine concern for his student athletes is not limited to just academics. In the past, he has helped approximately 40 different boxers in any way possible. For some, he helped to pay part of their tuition or rent for their apartment, while for others he’s purchased groceries. Dowd’s generosity can be traced to one simple concept.

“When these guys leave here, I don’t want them to just know how to box,” Dowd said. “I want them to know what the difference is between a gentleman and a jerk.”

It’s clear that Dowd’s message has spread to his boxers. Through their collaborative efforts, the boxers – both past and present – do what they can to display their appreciation for their beloved coach.

Earlier in the year, several boxers helped shovel snow from his driveway. Another charitable act was performed by the band Thoughts for Crossing. The group, of which Bal is a member, donated money from one of its performances to the boxing program. This deed helps Dowd out because he pays for any extra expenses accrued by the team from his own personal account.

Once the boxers graduate, they still perform altruistic gestures for their mentor. Many of Dowd’s former pupils stay in contact with him or come back to visit him regularly. Others have invited Terry and Marge to meaningful events in their lives.

“We have been invited to numerous graduations, weddings and baby showers by former boxers. It is great to see that they still keep in contact even after the graduate,” Marge said.

Hardships in Life

Today, Dowd lives the good life teaching the sport he loves for a living. In the past, however, he has dealt with his fair share of hardships.

As a youth, Dowd grew up in a catholic orphanage located in Des Moines. At this young age, he put on his first pair of boxing gloves and gained appreciation for the sport. The nuns at the orphanage would use his passion for boxing against him when he needed to be punished.

“I became interested in boxing through Friday Night Fights. If I would misbehave, the nuns would not allow me to watch Friday Night Fights,” Dowd said.

Fate was finally on Dowd’s side when Alice Henaman adopted him. Growing up in Spirit Lake, he was finally able to start a new chapter in his life. The relationship with his adopted mother is so strong that he thinks of her as his birth mother. In her later years, Dowd personally took care took care of her. As of a few years ago, however, the work became too much for him so she was placed in a nursing home.

In his new family, he also had a strong relationship with his stepbrother. Although his sibling was “slow,” Dowd still loved him very much.

“Growing up, my brother wasn’t able to fight for himself. So, I took it upon myself to fight for him,” Dowd said.

Unfortunately, his new family also brought with it a different set of problems. While growing up, Dowd had two different stepfathers, both of whom abused both he and his brother. Since both of the father figures in his life were alcoholics, Dowd did not want to be like them. He now cites that as the reason he does not drink.

The rough experiences Dowd had growing up have influenced how he runs his team. Although he clearly loves boxing, it ranks an easy second to family in Dowd’s priorities. In dealing with his own past experiences, he tries to make the ISU Boxing Club a family environment so no one will grow up like he did.

Dowd was able to escape the abusive environment by serving in the military during the Vietnam War. When he was able to, Dowd would enter the ring and continue his boxing career. His time in the ring is easily his fondest memory of the war. Like many other veterans of the war, Dowd wishes he could forget his tour of duty.

“I saw stuff during my time that no one my age should ever see. I still have nightmares about my time there,” he said.

Years later, Dowd began his current job as coach of the ISU boxing team. Even though this has been a pleasant time in his life, Dowd endured a major setback once again.

Ten years ago, Dowd was faced with the hardest challenge in his life. He suffered a stroke that paralyzed the left side of his body. The original prognosis from the doctors was that Dowd would never walk or talk again. Being the fighter that he is, Dowd went on to prove them wrong. Within one month, he was in the basement of State Gym doing what he loved once again. Marge feels that boxing is the primary reason for Terry still being here today.

“Boxing was great for him after his stroke. He was able to forget about his health for once and focus on something else,” said Marge.

Impact on Boxers

For all the hardships their revered coach has endured, the team sees him as a source of inspiration.

“Despite all his problems in life, he still comes to practice. Since he comes, I have to be here for him also,” said Nicholas Nelson, senior in advertising.

Dowd’s lessons are thought highly of by the team.

“All the lessons he talks about translate to the real world. He teaches us, through his example, that you can deal with any adversity in life as long as you have a positive outlook,” said Tony Sims, junior in architecture.

Although Dowd is a great source of wisdom, the hardest thing for many team members was to gain the courage to talk to him. Upon first meeting Dowd, it was common for the boxers to produce misconceptions about their legendary coach.

“I found Coach to be intimidating right away. Now that I have known him longer, it means a lot to me that he volunteers to do this. He definitely has a heart of gold,” said Pablo Vahanian, sophomore in pre-business.

The most interesting first impression of coach Dowd from any boxer came from Joe Gaumer.

“When I first saw Coach, I thought he was one of the most handsome men that I have ever seen. He looks more like Mickey (Rocky Balboa’s trainer) than anyone has the right to be,” said the freshman in chemical engineering.