Dean Lowry

BIOGRAPHY

Dean Vincent Lowry, born on June 9, 1994, is an established American professional football player who serves as a defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He reached professional prominence after a successful college career with the Northwestern Wildcats, where he made a mark as a four-year starter before getting picked by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft.

Lowry’s life began in Rockford, Illinois, where he was born to his parents, Margaret and John Lowry. He attended Boylan Central Catholic High School and quickly emerged as a versatile athlete, lettering in baseball as a freshman and playing basketball for a year. However, football remained his primary sport and he excelled at it. Lowry contributed to two undefeated teams and achieved standout recognition as a SuperPrep All-Midwest honoree and an All-State selection by the Chicago Tribune and Champaign-News Gazette. His senior year was particularly notable, in which he recorded 65 tackles, 21 of which were for loss, and bagged 10 sacks.

As he matured as a player, Lowry started gaining national attention. His rankings climbed to become the 34th defensive end in the country and the 17th-best prospect in the state of Illinois. He carried a three-star recruit status and received scholarship offers from several schools, including Northwestern, Ball State, Illinois State, Indiana, Iowa, Northern Illinois, Purdue, Vanderbilt, and Western Michigan. After careful deliberation, Lowry committed to Northwestern on June 7, 2011.

At Northwestern, Lowry showed promise from the beginning. As a freshman, he played all 13 games as a backup to future Minnesota Vikings defensive end, Tyler Scott. He even earned an ESPN.com Big Ten Conference All-Freshman Team honor as a testament to his performance.

His second year saw him starting nine games at defensive end, recording his first career interception while playing Syracuse and marking his first career touchdown against Maine. Despite an injury-induced absence from the game against Nebraska, Lowry ended the year second on the team in tackles for loss with seven and third on the team with 4.5 sacks.

Lowry’s prowess continued to grow in his junior year when he started every game at defensive end. His contributions include forcing a fumble against the Notre Dame and earning the title of Defensive Player of the Game during a game against Western Illinois. For his academic and athletic prowess, he was named to the Academic All-Big Ten team and acknowledged with an honorable mention by league coaches.

In his final year, Lowry set a single-game team record against Nebraska with six tackles for a loss, earning the Defensive Player of the Game title once again. His consistent performances earned him a second-team All-Big Ten team selection.

Following his successful college career, Lowry was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2016 NFL draft. While CBS Sports commentator Dane Brugler had concerns about his explosiveness, he was praised as “heavy-handed” and recognized for his ability to compete against blockers.

His professional career started with a bang as he recorded his first NFL sack against the Houston Texans in December 2016. He scored his first career touchdown in a victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following year, earning him the title of NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

In 2019, Lowry signed a three-year contract extension with the Packers, but his career took a turn in December 2022 when he was placed on injured reserve. He moved to the Minnesota Vikings in 2023 but was released in 2024 due to a pectoral injury.

Overcoming adversity, Lowry signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on April 1, 2024, earning yet another chance to display his undeniable talent and tenacity. Throughout his journey, he remains driven not just in his athletic pursuits but academically as well, having majored in economics with a minor in business institutions at Northwestern University.