He’s a one-stop shopper baseball coach

April 24, 2023 Andy Furman

Brian Dowd. Photo courtesy of KCC Athletics

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He calls it, “A One Stop Shop.” And he credits —at least partially – the success of his program for it.

Brian Dowd is the baseball coach at Kingsborough Community College and is enjoying the best year of his four-year coaching stint at the school.

The 41-year-old graduate of South Shore High School has led the Wave to twenty-one wins in their first twenty-seven ballgames thus far this season.

“We have good players, it’s as simple as that,” he told the Brooklyn Eagle.

But getting talented players to Kingsborough Community College, well, isn’t that simple.

Dowd knows – he played for the Wave.
And prior to his head coaching gig he served as an assistant coach for seven years and the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the entire athletic program, two years.

Success for Kingsborough baseball is not an accident.

The program has improved every season under Dowd and his staff.

They finished fourth in the Region in 2019 and third in 2022.

Each of the last two full-seasons he’s led the Wave to the City University of New York (CUNY) championship game – winning in 2022.

The Wave baseball program can boast 16 CUNY All-Star selections and 10 All-Region selections – including Player, Pitcher and Rookie of the Year picks in the conference.

This success must be more than just, “good players. “Well,” he admitted, “Early on it was pretty tough getting those good players. It’s a little easier now.”

How’s that?

“My Athletic Director (Robert Allison) has given us the tools we needed for high-level players,” Dowd said.

Like playing more games.

“Pitchers,” the coach added, “Need games. We now have more games for them.”
And of course, he said people always want to play for a winner – “and we’re winners.”

Kingsborough’s turf field – on campus – is a drawing card, Dowd said, and he notes the support at home games has improved.

The Brian Dowd plan for attracting student-athletes to Kingsborough is simple.

“What we do better than anyone in the region,” he said, “is strength and conditioning development for players.”

Dowd’s background in that area is a major plus.

The coach also credits the academic strength of the school.
“We’re in the Top 5 Academically as a two-year school, nationally,” he said. “That is a great selling point – especially for parents.”

And that high-academic perch enables students to transfer easily after their two-year stay. Dowd knows – he finished his collegiate career at the College of Staten Island.

“I also think tuition is a great attraction for us,” Dowd said.

Although there are no athletic scholarships available at Kingsborough, Dowd said the City University schools offer the Excelsior Scholarship for those in financial need.

“In fact,” he added, “Depending on need, some students can actually be paid to attend school.”

It really is a total one-stop package – and Dowd certainly is selling it.

The biggest problem facing Dowd these days – how will he be able to attend his daughter’s Communion on May 6th – the same day the Wave end their regular season with Nassau Community College.

“I’ll make the Communion and the game,” he promises.

He also promised it would not be the final game of the season for his Wave baseballers.

“We have the CUNY Championships on the 8th and the Regionals on the 13th,” he said.

From the looks of things, seems Brian Dowd has done some rather good one-stop shopping.

Andy Furman is a Fox Sports Radio national talk show host. Previously, he was a scholastic sports columnist for the Brooklyn Eagle. He may be reached at: [email protected] Twitter: @AndyFurmanFSR.