His birth certificate spells his surname McDowall but for his entire All Black career he played as Steve McDowell. The mix up occurred apparently because his nomadic father altered the spelling on his adopted son's records before he took off for good.
McDowall was a gym junkie where he developed his power and explosive style while national selection for his first love, judo, gave him a variety of techniques to disrupt mauls and turn over possession.
"I was selected for the Moscow Olympics team, but that was the year of the US-boycott, so unfortunately I didn't get to compete," he said. "The gym was a great place to hang out but the down side was that training made me tired, which affected my schoolwork.
It's something I'm quite conscious about with my own kids."
McDowall came from the same Rotorua rugby nursery as Wayne Shelford and was married to Shelford's sister.
On the rugby field, McDowall scuttled around the park with some speed and was able to bounce unsuspecting tacklers out of his way with his low-slung style.