Brendan John Dowler is an Australian Paralympian, and coaches wheelchair basketball.

Personal

Dowler is from

Wollongong, New South Wales Wollongong ( ; Dharawal: ''Woolyungah'') is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near water' or 'sound ...

, has three siblings and is married, with 2 children. He attended the

University of Wollongong The University of Wollongong (UOW) is an Australian public university, public research university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, approximately south of Sydney. , the university had an enrolment of more than 33,000 s ...

, earning a degree in IT. He became paraplegic as a result of a spinal tumour. When not coaching wheelchair basketball, he is an IT Manager. ' In 2008, he was working for Pillar Administration. He was still working with the company in 2017, having been taken over by Mercer Administration Services.

Basketball

Dowler is classified as a 1.0 player. He started playing wheelchair basketball in 1995.

National team

Dowler first represented Australia in 2001 and has had over 100 caps for the team.

Paralympics

Dowler was considered for selection for the

2000 Summer Paralympics The 2000 Summer Paralympic Games or the XI Summer Paralympics were held in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, between 18 and 29 October. The Sydney Paralympics was the last time that the Summer Paralympics were organized by two different Organ ...

but did not make it. He was part of the silver medal-winning

Australia men's national wheelchair basketball team The Australia men's national wheelchair basketball team is the men's wheelchair basketball side that represents Australia in international competitions. The team is known as the Rollers. Australia took the gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Paralymp ...

at the

2004 Summer Paralympics The 2004 Summer Paralympics (), the 12th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Athens, Greece, from 17 to 28 September ...

. He was part of the gold medal-winning

at the

2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China, from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It was ...

, for which he received a

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then ...

Club basketball

During his club basketball career, Dowler played for and won national titles with both the Wollongong Rollerhawks and the Sydney Razorbacks. In 2001 and 2003 he was named one of the NWBL's All-Star Five, additionally in 2003 he was also named the NWBL's Low point MVP. Dowler coached the Wollongong Roller Hawks to the National League Australian National Wheelchair Basketball League (NWBL) in 5 seasons - 2012, 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2022. There was no season in 2020 due to COVID restrictions, and the team was undefeated for the 2021 season that was abandoned with one round remaining, also due to COVID. Dowler was named the NWBL Coach of the Year for the 2012, 2017 and 2019 seasons.

Public speaking

Dowler has done public speaking. In November 2008, he and Brett Stibners spoke at the Sydney Business School's annual Town and Gown function.

Recognition

In 1999, Dowler was awarded a University Blue by the

. In 2004, Dowler and Tristan Knowles were awarded the title of

Illawarra Mercury The ''Illawarra Mercury'' is a daily newspaper serving the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It has been published since 1855, making it one of Australia's oldest newspapers and the second-oldest regional newspaper in New South Wa ...

Sports Star of the Year Award. In 2008, Dowler, Tristan Knowles, Brett Stibners and Troy Sachs were awarded the title of

Sports Star of the Year Award. In 2022, Dowler was awarded the Coach of the Year at th
Illawarra Sports Awards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowler, Brendan 1968 births Living people Australian people of Irish descent Sportsmen from New South Wales Paralympic gold medalists for Australia Paralympic silver medalists for Australia Wheelchair basketball players at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Wheelchair basketball players at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Paralympic wheelchair basketball players for Australia Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Medalists at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Paralympic medalists in wheelchair basketball 20th-century Australian sportsmen