Northeastern University Athletics | Football Coaches

Rapheal Dowdye
Running Backs Coach
First season at NU: 2004
Alma mater: West Virginia Wesleyan '96

Rapheal Dowdye is in his sixth season as an assistant coach at Northeastern, and he returns to the offensive side of the ball as the running backs coach. Dowdye was NU’s running backs coach in 2004, when the Huskies finished fourth in the Atlantic 10 in rushing offense.

Dowdye spent the 2008 season as the defensive coordinator and served as defensive backs coach from 2004-08. For the last three seasons, he has worked closely with Nate Thellen, who has developed into one of the best secondary players in CAA Football, earning third-team All-Conference honors and leading the team in interceptions in 2008. In his time with Northeastern, Dowdye has helped produce three All-Conference players in the secondary.

Prior to his arrival at NU, Dowdye, 36, spent four seasons coaching at Brown, two as the cornerbacks coach and two as coach of the running backs. Dowdye mentored Nick Hartigan, who went on to become the school’s all-time leading rusher.

Dowdye had two coaching stints at his alma mater, West Virginia Wesleyan, the first in 1996 immediately following his graduation. In 1997, he took a job as the defensive backs coach at Bethany College in West Virginia, before returning for two seasons to West Virginia Wesleyan. In his second stint with the Bobcats, he helped lead the team to back-to-back top 10 national rankings in pass defense. Off the field, Dowdye was an academic liaison to prospective student-athletes and an intercultural liaison to minority student-athletes.

Dowdye was a four-year starter at cornerback for West Virginia Wesleyan and was named All-Conference three times. He also starred for the Bobcats in track & field as an All-America sprinter. He graduated from WVWC in 1996 with a degree in Business Management and Economics. Dowdye is a local product, as he grew up in Boston and attended Madison Park Technical Vocational High School.

Dowdye, who participated in the 2007 NCAA Men’s Football Coaches Academy, currently resides in Providence, R.I.



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