Oliver C. Dawson
John Carroll | |
Position(s) |
|
---|---|
Administrative career ( South Carolina State | |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 42–41–9 (football) |
Bowls | 2–0 |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Awards | |
| |
Oliver Cromwell Dawson (September 7, 1910 – February 9, 1989) was an American athlete and sports coach. After playing several sports at
Early life and education
Dawson was born on September 7, 1910.
Dawson later attended John Carroll University, where he played three years of football, two or three years of tennis,[e] and three years of basketball.[4] He has been called "perhaps John Carroll's most versatile star athlete of all time."[4] Playing fullback in football, he finished with a career average of 5.5 yards-per-carry,[3] and led the team in scoring as a junior and senior.[4] Dawson played his last football game in November 1933.[5]
In basketball, Dawson played guard for the 1931–32, 1932–33, and 1933–34 teams,
Coaching career
Dawson transferred to
In football, Dawson served as the backfield coach from 1935 until his graduation.[7] He was promoted to head football coach in 1937, and went on to serve in the position through 1950, besides the 1943–1945 seasons which were cancelled due to World War II.[3] His 1947 team went undefeated and played for the black college national championship.[3] Among notable football players he coached or recruited included Marion Motley and Deacon Jones, both of whom went on to be Pro Football Hall of Famers.[3][7]
Described as being one of the most "versatile" coaches,[8] Dawson also served as the head basketball coach from 1936 to 1947, winning the school's first ever SIAC title in 1943 in any sport.[3] For seven years, he coached tennis, leading the team to four conference championships; among the players he coached was George Stewart, a national champion in the American Tennis Association (ATA).[3] Dawson also coached the golf team for six seasons and led them to four conference titles.[3] He was head athletic director for 16 years and also served as a professor at the school, initiating in 1947 the health and physical education program while serving as its chairman for 30 years.[2] He retired from South Carolina State in 1976.[6]
Honors, personal life and death
Dawson was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 1974, the first black person ever to receive the honor.[6][9] He was inducted into the South Carolina State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1983, as a charter member.[10][6] Oliver C. Dawson Stadium, South Carolina State's home football venue, was renamed in his honor in 1984.[6] Dawson attended St. Luke Presbyterian Church, where he was an elder, and was a member of the Hillcrest Recreational Facility Commission for 17 years.[11] Dawson died on February 9, 1989, at the age of 78.[2]
Head coaching record
Football
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
South Carolina State Bulldogs (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1937–1950) | |||||||||
1937 | South Carolina State | 5–3–1 | |||||||
1938 | South Carolina State | 3–5 | |||||||
1939 | South Carolina State | 4–3–1 | |||||||
1940 | South Carolina State | 3–6 | |||||||
1941 | South Carolina State | 4–4–1 | |||||||
1942 | South Carolina State | 3–2–1 | |||||||
1943 | No team—World War II | ||||||||
1944 | No team—World War II | ||||||||
1945 | No team—World War II | ||||||||
1946 | South Carolina State | 5–3–1 | 2–3–1 | W Pecan | |||||
1947 | South Carolina State | 7–1–2 | 5–0–2 | 2nd | W Pecan | ||||
1948 | South Carolina State | 4–3–1 | |||||||
1949 | South Carolina State | 3–4–1 | |||||||
1950 | South Carolina State | 1–7 | |||||||
South Carolina State: | 42–41–9 | ||||||||
Total: | 42–41–9 |
References
Notes
- ^ Football was not played from 1943 to 1945 due to World War II.
- ^ Dawson coached tennis for seven years, but the dates are unknown.
- ^ Dawson coached golf for six years, but the dates are unknown.
- ^ Dawson served as athletic director for 16 years, but the dates are unknown.
Citations
- ^ Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2014.
- ^
- ^
- ^ John Carroll Blue Streaks.
- ^ a b c d e "100 Objects/Day 92: SCSU stadium named for legendary coach Oliver C. Dawson". The Times and Democrat. September 14, 2014.
- ^
- ^ McGee, Marty (May 21, 1974). "He Wants Lifetime Sports". The Times and Democrat. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ "Oliver C. Dawson". South Carolina State University. Retrieved October 25, 2023.