East Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame
Downing led the Lions' women's basketball team to its most successful era during his seven-year tenure at A&M-Commerce. Downing recorded a 106-99 record with the Lions, turning around a program that had two winning seasons in the 31 years prior to his arrival. Downing's Lions had winning seasons in each of his last four years, with the most spectacular run coming in 2006-07. That year's team featured the first two All-Americans in program history, as the Lions went 28-9 on the way to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, winning the Lone Star Conference Tournament and the Division II South Central Regional Tournament.
