Robert Charles Dawson (February 4, 1932 – December 10, 2017) was a

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

champion former

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

player. Dawson was a standout junior player with the

Windsor AKO Fratmen The St. Clair Fratmen are a Canadian football team based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The team has played in the Canadian Junior Football League's Ontario Football Conference since the 1940s and won national titles in 1952, 1954, and 1999. The te ...

team, winners of the 1952 national junior championship (the "Little Grey Cup") in a 15–12 victory over the

Edmonton Wildcats The Edmonton Wildcats (formerly the Edmonton Maple Leafs) are Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The Wildcats play in the Prairie Football Conference, which is part of the Canadian Junior Football League and competes for the league ...

. Several CFL teams were bidding for his services, but he chose the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

, with whom he'd have a 7-season career. In his first season, he won the Gruen Trophy as best rookie in the east (no stats were kept, and only Canadians qualified for the award) and won the

championship. He also won the Grey Cup in 1957. Primarily a defensive back, he made five interceptions in his career, and he could substitute on offense, catching 11 passes in 1956. He could also play quarterback, and in 1956 he got the chance, which was a rarity, as very few Canadians got to play quarterback during this era. On October 20, 1956, the Cats were suffering a record setting defeat to the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...

, 82–14, when coach

Jim Trimble James William Trimble (May 29, 1918 – May 23, 2006) was an American gridiron football coach who served as head coach in both the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL) In the NFL, he spent four years leading the P ...

replaced starting quarterback

Tony Curcillo Anthony Curcillo Jr. (May 27, 1931 – December 8, 2020) was an American Grey Cup champion football player in the National Football League and Canadian Football League. College years Curcillo was the starting quarterback for the Ohio State Buc ...

. Dawson came on and completed five of eight passes for one touchdown. Dawson was enshrined in the ''Windsor/Essex County Sports Hall of Fame'' in 2001. He died on December 10, 2017, at the age of 85.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, Bob 1932 births 2017 deaths Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Canadian Football League Rookie of the Year Award winners Sportspeople from Bradenton, Florida Canadian football people from Windsor, Ontario Players of Canadian football from Ontario