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 Oliver C. Dawson Stadium is a 22,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in Orangeburg, South Carolina. It opened in 1955, with major renovations in 1994. It is home to the South Carolina State Bulldogs college football team and the women's college soccer ...

is named in his honor.

Early life and education

Dawson was born on September 7, 1910.Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2014. He grew up in Ohio and attended Collinwood High School, where he played several sports. He played at

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

for three seasons, at guard in basketball as a starter for three years, and participated in several track and field events. 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 The 440-yard dash, or quarter-mile race, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. In many countries, athletes compete in the 440 yard dash (402.336 m) – which corresponds to a quarter mile. Many athletic tracks are 440 yards ...

. Dawson also participated in

100-yard dash 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...

events as well as the

220 __NOTOC__ Year 220 ( CCXX) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Antonius and Eutychianus (or, less frequently, year 973 '' ...

. He also was a boxer during this time, and once held the heavyweight championship of Cleveland. Dawson later attended John Carroll University, where he played three years of football, two or three years of tennis, and three years of basketball. He has been called "perhaps John Carroll's most versatile star athlete of all time." Playing fullback in football, he finished with a career average of 5.5 yards-per-carry, and led the team in scoring as a junior and

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

. Dawson played his last football game in November 1933. In basketball, Dawson played guard for the 1931–32, 1932–33, and 1933–34 teams, serving as their team captain in the last. As a tennis player, he began with singles before moving on to doubles; while playing singles he ranked number one at the school. Dawson was inducted into the John Carroll University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984, the first African-American ever to earn the honor.

Coaching career

Dawson transferred to South Carolina State College following his time at John Carroll and graduated in 1936. 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. 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. In football, Dawson served as the backfield coach from 1935 until his graduation. 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. His 1947 team went undefeated and played for the black college national championship. 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. Described as being one of the most "versatile" coaches, 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. 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). Dawson also coached the golf team for six seasons and led them to four conference titles. 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. He retired from South Carolina State in 1976.

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. He was inducted into the South Carolina State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1983, as a charter member.

, South Carolina State's home football venue, was renamed in his honor in 1984. Dawson attended St. Luke Presbyterian Church, where he was an

elder An elder is someone with a degree of seniority or authority. Elder or elders may refer to: Positions Administrative * Elder (administrative title), a position of authority Cultural * North American Indigenous elder, a person who has and tr ...

, and was a member of the Hillcrest Recreational Facility Commission for 17 years. Dawson died on February 9, 1989, at the age of 78.

Head coaching record

Football

References

Notes

Citations

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, Oliver C. 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 sportsmen Tennis coaches from Ohio