Oliver C. Dawson
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Biographical details | |
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Born | Hampton, Georgia, U.S. | September 7, 1910
Died | February 9, 1989 Orangeburg, South Carolina, U.S. | (aged 78)
Playing career | |
Football | |
1931–1933 | John Carroll |
Basketball | |
1931–1934 | John Carroll |
Tennis | |
1932/3–1934 | John Carroll |
Position(s) | |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
Football | |
1935–1936 | South Carolina State (backfield) |
1937–1950[a] | South Carolina State |
Basketball | |
1936–1947 | South Carolina State |
Track | |
Unknown | South Carolina State |
Tennis | |
Unknown[b] | South Carolina State |
Golf | |
Unknown[c] | South Carolina State |
Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
Unknown[d] | 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 John Carroll University, he served as a coach and athletic director for the South Carolina State Bulldogs from 1935 to 1976. The Bulldogs' Oliver C. Dawson Stadium is named in his honor.
Early life and education
[edit]Dawson was born on September 7, 1910.[1] He grew up in Ohio[2] and attended Collinwood High School, where he played several sports.[3] He played at fullback in football for three seasons, at guard in basketball as a starter for three years, and participated in several track and field events.[3] He led his basketball teams to undefeated records in all three seasons and in track and field set a state record in the 440-yard dash.[3] Dawson also participated in 100-yard dash events as well as the 220.[3] He also was a boxer during this time, and once held the heavyweight championship of Cleveland.[3]
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,[4] serving as their team captain in the last.[3] As a tennis player, he began with singles before moving on to doubles;[3] while playing singles he ranked number one at the school.[4] Dawson was inducted into the John Carroll University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984, the first African-American ever to earn the honor.[4]
Coaching career
[edit]Dawson transferred to South Carolina State College following his time at John Carroll and graduated in 1936.[3] It was here where he coached five different sports and served as athletic director across a period that spanned from 1935 to 1976, winning championships in all but one of those sports.[6] Dawson served as head coach for the men's basketball team, football team, golf team, track team, and tennis team, and for 16 years was director of athletics.[3]
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
[edit]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
[edit]Football
[edit]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
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ 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.
- ^ The John Carroll Blue Streaks website and an article from The Times and Democrat conflict.[3][4]
Citations
[edit]- ^ Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Coach Oliver Dawson". The Times and Democrat. February 11, 1989. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Ollie Dawson Selected For S. C. Hall Of Fame". The Times and Democrat. Associated Press. May 9, 1974. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Ollie Dawson (1984)". John Carroll Blue Streaks.
- ^ "Dawson Hurt In Last Game". Dayton Daily News. Associated Press. December 1, 1933. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Helms, Herman (February 13, 1972). "Thanks For The Memory". The State. p. 32, 38 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Helms, Herman (May 9, 1974). "Ollie Makes The Hall Of Fame". The State. p. 13, 14 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Oilver Dawson, former coach, dead at 78". The Greenville News. February 12, 1989. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
[edit]- 1910 births
- 1989 deaths
- American football fullbacks
- Guards (basketball)
- John Carroll Blue Streaks football players
- John Carroll Blue Streaks men's basketball players
- South Carolina State Bulldogs football coaches
- South Carolina State Bulldogs basketball coaches
- College golf coaches in the United States
- College men's tennis players in the United States
- College tennis coaches in the United States
- College track and field coaches in South Carolina
- People from Hampton, Georgia
- Players of American football from Henry County, Georgia
- Coaches of American football from Ohio
- Players of American football from Cleveland
- Basketball players from Cleveland
- Tennis players from Ohio
- Track and field athletes from Ohio
- African-American college athletic directors in the United States
- African-American coaches of American football
- African-American basketball coaches
- African-American tennis players
- American male tennis players
- African-American track and field athletes
- American male track and field athletes
- 20th-century African-American sportspeople
- Tennis coaches from Ohio