Dan Towler
Towler, circa 1953 | |||||||||||||
| No. 32 | |||||||||||||
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| Position | Halfback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | March 6, 1928 Donora, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died | August 1, 2001 (aged 73) Pasadena, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| College | Washington & Jefferson | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1950: 25th round, 324th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Daniel Lee "Deacon" Towler (March 6, 1928 – August 1, 2001) was an American professional football player. He played in the National Football League (NFL) as a fullback for the Los Angeles Rams from 1950 through 1955. Towler was selected to play in the Pro Bowl four consecutive seasons (being the most valuable player in the January 1952 game); was named a first- or second-team All-Pro in four seasons; and was on the 1951 Rams' NFL championship team. He led the NFL in rushing yards one season and rushing touchdowns in two seasons. He was in the top four in total rushing yards over four consecutive NFL seasons, and was second in yards per carry in three consecutive seasons. He once rushed for over 200 yards in a single game.
Towler attended Washington & Jefferson College where he was a cum laude graduate in theology. As a member of the school's football team he was third in the nation in scoring in 1948, and was an Associated Press second-team Little All-American that year. He is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Hall of Fame.
Towler's stated primary objective throughout his life was to serve in the ministry. During his playing career with the Rams, he and the team had an agreement under which the Rams gave Towler the leeway to study at the University of Southern California's school of religion, unhindered by having to meet certain otherwise mandatory team obligations. After six years, Towler obtained a Master's Degree in theology from USC. He also later obtained a doctorate in education from USC.
Towler retired from professional football after the 1955 season, and became the minister of a church in Pasadena for the following decade. After that, among other things, Towler served as a chaplain, and assistant to the president, at California State University, Los Angeles. He also was the six-term president of the Los Angeles County Board of Education, among numerous other positions he served in over the years in the religious, charitable, educational, academic, and public sectors.