CUA men's tennis coach Marty Dowd is the dean of Catholic University coaches, having coached longer and enjoyed far more victories than any other active Cardinals mentor.  The 2012-13 season will mark Dowd's 50th year as the CUA head coach, placing him among the longest tenured coaches in NCAA history in any sport on any level.

Dowd earned his historic 500th career victory on March 9, 2010 when the Cardinals defeated DeFiance College 6-3 in Hilton Head, S.C. on CUA's spring break trip.  He enters this year with a career record of 532-350, good for a winning percentage of .603.  Dowd has also achieved an incredible 42 winning seasons during his long and storied career.

Last year, Dowd led the CUA men to 13 victories, including eight in a row to begin the season, and a spot in the Landmark Conference Tournament.  Four of Dowd's student-athletes were named to the All-Conference Teams, two received Academic Honor Roll recognition and one was named to the All-Academic Team. 

Dowd's successful affiliation with the CUA tennis program spans more than five decades. Beginning in 1956 as a freshman, he has been associated with the team every year except 1961, when he was on active duty in the United States Coast Guard. Dowd worked as an assistant coach in 1962 and took over the program the following year.

Although Dowd's teams have compiled more than 40 winning seasons and over 500 victories, the veteran coach maintains a proper perspective on success. "Winning and losing are not as important as playing up to your ability, never giving up and behaving like a gentleman at all times."

While playing tennis for CUA, Dowd led the squad to a 27-3 (.900) record his final two years, including a perfect 15-0 finish as a senior. Undefeated in doubles those two seasons, his overall record was an impressive 48-5 (.906). He graduated from CUA in 1960 with a bachelor's in art.

Dowd and his wife, Jone, the Cardinals' former senior associate director of athletics, live in Burtonsville, Md. All three of their daughters, Dana, Jennifer and Tara, played tennis at CUA under Jone.

The Dowd’s son, Michael, played at Division I George Washington University and was the head women's coach at the University of Pennsylvania for 12 years. Dana is currently the head women’s tennis coach at CUA.