Taco Dowler
| No. 14 – Montana State Bobcats | |
|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver |
| Class | Junior |
| Personal information | |
| Born | June 28, 2003[1] |
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Listed weight | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Billings West (Billings, Montana) |
| College | Montana State (2022–present) |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at ESPN | |
McLean "Taco" Dowler[2] (born June 28, 2003)[1] is an American college football wide receiver for the Montana State Bobcats. He is the twin brother of Caden Dowler, a defensive back for the Bobcats.[3]
Early life
[edit]McLean Dowler was born in 2003 to Justin and Michelle Dowler, along with his twin brother, Caden Dowler;[4][3] McLean is younger by one minute.[5] At the age of two, the twins were nicknamed "Burrito" and "Taco", though Caden's nickname only stuck "for like six months" while McLean Dowler's nickname carried on into adulthood.[3]
Dowler has not confirmed exactly how he was given the nickname "Taco". Local media outlets suspect one of two stories: Dowler either supposedly earned the nickname "Taco" after a younger him was in a Taco Bell drive-thru with his family when he blurted out, "That's my name", or a young Dowler was sitting at a table one morning and simply stated, "My name is Taco", and then got angry at anyone who called him by McLean instead of Taco.[6]
Career
[edit]Dowler attended Billings West High School with his brother in Billings, Montana.[7] He broke numerous school records and was named the Montana Gatorade Player of the Year.[8] Dowler committed to Montana State in 2021 and began attending the Montana State University in 2022. He was ranked as the third-best in the state of Montana in the class of 2022, according to 247Sports.[9][10]
On January 5, 2026, Dowler and the Montana State Bobcats won the 2026 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game 35–34 in overtime; in the game, Dowler had 8 receptions, 111 receiving yards, and the game-winning receiving touchdown in overtime.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b @CoachUdy (June 28, 2023). "Happy Birthday #14!!! Have a great day. #AirRock💨🪨 @MSUBobcats_FB @DowlerTaco 🌮😼🎂" (Tweet). Retrieved January 6, 2026 – via Twitter.
- ^ Heyen, Billy (January 6, 2026). "Why Montana State's Taco Dowler goes by that nickname instead of his real name". Sporting News. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
- ^ a b c Conlon, Casey (October 7, 2020). "Double trouble: Dowler twins lead Billings West to perfect start". Montana Sports. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
- ^ "Babies 2003". Billings Gazette. January 25, 2004. p. 17F – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Whittle, Robbie (May 2, 2023). "MSU's Dowler twins both hard workers with very different personalities". NBC Montana. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
- ^ Scherting, Mike (November 19, 2020). "It's Taco's time: Billings West WR has uncanny ability to make the big play at the right moment". 406 MT Sports. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
- ^ "The best of the best; Caden Dowler, Billings West". Billings Gazette. May 18, 2022. p. B2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Taco Dowler Gatorade 2021 - 2022: Player of the Year Football". Gatorade. 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
- ^ Flores, Victor (September 13, 2021). "Billings West's Dowler twins, Florence's Abbott commit to Montana State for football". 406 MT Sports. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
- ^ "Taco Dowler". 247Sports. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
- ^ Higgins, Grady (January 5, 2026). "Montana State football outlasts Illinois State in OT for national title". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
External links
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