NFL teammates to meet in HBCU rivalry game as head coaches

Thirty-five years ago, current HBCU football coaches Bubba McDowell and Cris Dishman were cornerstones of the NFL franchise formerly known as the Houston Oilers.

Now the the two former All-Pro defensive backs are head coaches at rival HBCU institutions in the Houston area.

Dishman will be making his college head coaching debut for Texas Southern in Saturday night’s game at Prairie View A&M. He was hired to take over the Houston-based HBCU in January.

“Bubba and I are always going to remain friends, no matter what the outcome of this game is,” Dishman said on Monday’s SWAC football coaches call . “Coach McDowell has been very instrumental in me having this job, so I could never see us not being friends.”

McDowell is headed into his third season as head coach at Prairie View A&M University.

“We’ve got two brothers who love each other, but this game is not about Cris Dishman or Bubba McDowell; it’s about Texas Southern and Prairie View and the product we need to put out there on the field come Saturday night,” said McDowell, who played safety in the Oilers backfield behind Dishman, who was a cornerback.

After spending his time as an assistant coach, McDowell has led his program to a 12-11 record in those two seasons, including a SWAC West title in 2024. Dishman will be looking to resurrect a Texas Southern program that hasn’t produced a winning season in over a decade. The two remain close, despite now being on opposite sides of the Texas HBCU football rivalry.

“It’s fun to have him in the SWAC right now. We talk every other week just to stay in contact and catch up with each other,” McDowell said. “If he’s got any questions about how things are run in the SWAC, I’m always willing to share with my brother. I know he’s going to have these guys going, put his stamp on the program and have these guys running free and playing good football pretty soon.”

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