He played for Bill Walsh and was a member of the 1981 San Francisco 49ers team that won the franchise's first Super Bowl.
Downing played college football for the Michigan Wolverines under head coach Bo Schembechler from 1975 to 1977.
He attended Coatesville High School, where he was a member of the football, wrestling and track teams.
He played on the offensive line and at linebacker for the football team and was selected as a Prep All-American.
[1][2] Downing accepted a scholarship to play football for Bo Schembechler at the University of Michigan.
[3] As a junior, Downing was the starting center in all 12 games played by the 1976 Michigan team that won the Big Ten Conference championship, advanced to the 1977 Rose Bowl, and finished the season ranked No.
[7] The team won Michigan's second consecutive conference championship, played in the 1978 Rose Bowl, and finished the season ranked No.
[8][9][10] At the end of the 1977 season, Downing was selected as a first-team All-American by UPI, The Sporting News, the American Football Coaches Association, Kodak, and Playboy.
As of 2011, he was employed as vice president of sales for Green Lines Transportation, a trucking company in Malvern, Ohio.