PHILADELPHIA – Following 22 years as the University of Pennsylvania football program's running backs coach, Steve Downs has announced his retirement. The program's second-longest tenured coach behind only the George A. Munger Head Coach of Football, Ray Priore—who has been with the program since 1987—Downs was a key cog to eight championship squads during his tenure (2000, 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016).
 
"You talk about this most recent generation of Penn football players, and I think almost every guy would tell you that Coach Downs was an integral part of their experience in our program," said Priore. "It was really crystallized for me recently when we had a Zoom call with a bunch of guys from the early 2000s and they were like, 'we gotta get Downs on here!' He has been a mentor, a father figure, and a sounding board for literally hundreds of young men over the years, and so his retirement will hit a lot of guys really hard.
 
"Steve and I have had a lot of conversations over the last few weeks, and I know this was not an easy decision for him. I respect his decision to step away at this time. He will always be a part of the Penn Football Family, we look forward to seeing Steve at future games and events."
 
In addition to the eight Ivy League titles during Downs' tenure, Penn led the Ancient Eight in overall rushing twice during his career (2010 and 2015) with the 2010 team finishing sixth nationally at the FCS level in rushing yard per game and putting together the 10th-best season in Ivy history.
 
Individually, Downs coached three players to a total of four Ivy rushing titles: Kris Ryan in 1999 and 2001, Tre Solomon in 2016, and Karekin Brooks in 2019. Four of Downs' running backs are among the 11 backs in program history who have rushed for 2,000 career yards—Ryan, Brooks, Solomon, Sam Mathews—and 14 of Downs' backs totaled 26 All-Ivy awards over the years including six who totaled eight first-team honors. Overall, at least one of Downs' backs earned All-Ivy in 19 of the 21 seasons in which he coached.
 
"As a kid growing up where I did in West Philadelphia, I never could have dreamed of working at Penn," said Downs. "I've had 22 great years working here, and my daughter is on her way to being an Ivy League graduate. I cannot put into words what Penn has given me. The wins and championships were great, but what I'll miss most is the day-to-day, behind-the-scenes moments with my fellow coaches and especially the players. This is a special program, and I've been blessed to be a part of it and share bonds with coaches and players that will forever be a part of my life. The wins and losses fade away, but the memories? They are what make this job so special.
 
"This decision has been incredibly hard to make, but events during the last few years have changed my perspective a bit and I've decided it's time to step away from the grind of being a college football coach and spend more time with my family. They have always supported my career, and I appreciate that, but it's time I focus more on my wife Dusty, my daughter Kyla, and my 11-year-old son Steven Jr. I will always love the Penn Football Family, and I look forward to the program moving forward from the stands. To quote my man Coach Lake, I can't wait to see future members of the Brotherhood 'do better than their best.'"