He rode the crazy ups and downs of the oil and gas business, said his wife, Mary Lowe.

But there was one constant that began early in his life — his love and dedication to TCU, especially Horned Frog athletics.

Lowe, of Fort Worth, died Nov. 29, 2020.

Lowe attended TCU on a football scholarship, playing for Coach Dutch Meyer ’22 as a guard.

“Dutch was always real straightforward, and Dick was the same kind of guy,” said teammate Marshall Harris ’54 (MLA ’77). 

At practice when Harris was a freshman, his knee struck Lowe’s head, knocking him out, Harris recalled.

When Lowe came to, he insisted that Meyer put Harris in the lineup. “He was responsible for me making the team,” said Harris, and the mishap became a lifelong joke between the two.

In 2000, Lowe similarly pushed for then-defensive coordinator Gary Patterson to become TCU’s head football coach after it appeared another candidate would be picked because of a stronger interview. Patterson said he was told that Lowe argued: “It shouldn’t matter how someone interviews. The priority is how they coach.”

Lowe led American Quasar Petroleum, which tanked in the 1984 oil bust, not long after he and Mary wed. They struggled financially, and “we sold everything we owned,” she said.

But “Dick never gave up,” and his optimism pulled them through, she said. Soon he was back on top with Four Sevens Oil, partnering with Hunter Enis ’59 (MA ’63) and Lowe’s son Brad Cunningham ’89 doing Barnett Shale deals.

In 2010, he shared his good fortune by donating $15 million to the Amon G. Carter Stadium renovation. He also was the driving donor force for Meyer-Martin Complex, which opened in 2008.

“Lowe was a one of a kind who loved TCU and Fort Worth,” Patterson said.