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Phil Dawson spent 2 decades in the NFL and became of the one most consistent kickers in NFL history.
He also became a well-known face of the Cleveland Browns.
After being cast aside by the Oakland Raiders and New
England Patriots, Dawson won the Browns kicking job in 1999.
He logged 14
seasons in Cleveland before spending 4 in San Francisco and 2 with Arizona.
He then
signed a one-day contract to retire with the Browns.
“There’s no greater sports town in America than
Cleveland,” Dawson said.
We take a
look at how it all started for Dawson how he became one of the best Browns
players off all-time.
Dawson Secures his Fate in High School
Phillip “Phil” Drury Dawson was born on January 23, 1975 in West
Palm Beach, Florida.
As a
youth, Dawson’s family moved to Texas where he was able to showcase his
athletic skills, particularly on the football field.
While
attending Lake Highlands High School in Dallas, Dawson earned his letter in
football.
(Incidentally,
this is the same high school that former Browns and Ravens kicker Matt
Stover had attended).
Using his
slight frame to the best of his ability, Dawson made his mark as a kicker and
offensive tackle.
Unfortunately,
before his senior year began, Dawson injured his knee in a preseason scrimmage.
After
considering season-ending surgery, he decided that he could still serve his
team as a kicker and elected against the surgery.
His
teammates would be glad he stuck around.
Playing at
his soon-to-be-future college, the Wildcats faced a tough Nacogdoches High School team in a 1992
playoff game at Texas Stadium.
With only seconds remaining in the game, Dawson
was called on to attempt a 52-yard field goal try.
His strong leg was on display even then as the
kick was true and Lake Highlands advanced with a 31-28 victory.
For his efforts that season, Dawson was recognized
as a high school All-American as well as the Southwest Region Offensive
Player of the Year by SuperPrep.
After
graduating high school, Dawson matriculated to the University of Texas.
Dawson is a Longhorn
Dawson
redshirted his first year at Texas and then took over the kicking duties for
the Longhorns for the next few years.
He quickly made a name for himself during his
first season as the ‘Horns kicker,’ netting 80 points.
Dawson also set a program record when he converted
54 point after attempts without a miss.
The following year, he led Texas in scoring and
was named an honorary All-American.
That 1995
season was notable when the Longhorns faced number 14th ranked University
of Virginia in October.
Once
again, Dawson came through in the clutch with a 50-yard field goal into 30 mile
an hour winds as time expired.
Texas
players then stormed the field, and Dawson, with a 17-16 victory in hand.
During his junior and senior years, Dawson’s prowess as a kicker was proven every week and he was named First-team All-American both years.
He was also selected All-Big 12 First-team in
1996 and Second-team in 1997.
Despite
the accolades and the skillfulness he showed in Austin, Dawson was not selected
in the 1998 NFL Draft.
He would
have to find his way to the NFL some other way.
The NFL (Eventually) Gives Dawson an
Opportunity
Because of
his consistency and dependability in college, the pros were aware of Dawson.
Shortly
after the ‘98 draft, the Raiders reached out and signed him as an
undrafted free agent.
He wasn’t
in Oakland very long, however, and the team released him soon after.
Then,
despite having the stalwart Adam Vinatieri already on their roster, the
Patriots signed Dawson to a contract shortly after departing Oakland.
He was
then relegated to the Patriots practice squad and did not appear in a game
for them in the ‘98 season.
In 1999,
Dawson was a free agent again.
This time
fate and opportunity came calling in the form of the Cleveland Browns.
Cleveland
was returning to the NFL as an expansion team after a three-year hiatus.
Dawson was
signed to provide a leg for their newly assembled team.
As it
turned out, the signing would produce immediate, as well as long-lasting,
dividends.
During
Week 5 of the ‘99 season, Dawson scored what would be his only NFL touchdown on
a fake field goal against the Bengals.
Five weeks later, he kicked a memorable 39-yard field goal as time expired to beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
As a member of the Browns for 14 seasons, Dawson had a number of memorable moments and individual seasons.
In particular, the 2005 season stands out as
he missed only two kicks the entire year (27 of 29).
He repeated the feat again in 2009 (17 of 19) and
2012 (his last season in Cleveland, 29 of 31).
At one point, Dawson set a Browns record for most
consecutive field goals made (29).
He also holds the team record for most field goals
made in a game (6) and most field goals made in a season (30 in 2008).
In 2007 and 2012, Dawson was named a Second-team
All-Pro and he also made the Pro Bowl roster in 2012.
During his time as a Brown, Dawson made 234 field
goals, tying him with Lou “The Toe” Groza.
However,
Dawson’s name will forever be etched in NFL lore for something that happened in
2007 and led the league to adopt a new rule.
The “Phil Dawson Rule”
On
November 18, 2007, Cleveland and Baltimore were in a dog fight.
The Browns
had dominated much of the game until a 16 point Baltimore rally in the
4th quarter.
Down by
three, the Browns needed Dawson to make a 51-yard field goal to send the game
into overtime.
After the
kicked ball hit the left upright and the rear, curved stanchion, it bounded
back onto the field in front of the goal posts.
The referees ruled the kick was missed and the game was over.
The Ravens
made their way to their locker room to celebrate.
Meanwhile,
the referees huddled together to discuss the sequence of bounces and the
location of the ball during the kick.
Eventually,
head referee Pete Morelli ruled that the ball went over the crossbar and
whatever happened after passing over the crossbar did not matter.
Then, the
officials had to make sure they covered their tracks.
Since NFL
rules did not permit the play to be reviewed, Morelli announced that the play
had been reversed “after discussion” (instead of “after further review”).
The Ravens
were told to return to the field to play the extra session.
During
overtime, Dawson was called on again and this time he made a
rather uncomplicated 33 yard field goal to win the Browns sixth game of
the season 33-30.
A month
later, the Browns faced the Bills in Cleveland where Dawson kicked two field
goals in blizzard conditions.
Those two
field goals (plus a safety) were the only points scored in an 8-0 Cleveland
victory.
However,
during one of the field goals, the ball again hit the rear stanchion.
Soon
after, the Cleveland press began calling that part of the goal posts
“The Dawson Bar.”
In part,
the rule says that field goals and extra points that hit the uprights or
the crossbar will be permitted for review.
San Francisco, here I come…
After
spending parts of three decades with the Browns, the team let Dawson walk after
the 2012 season.
He was
quickly snatched up by San Francisco in March of 2013.
During his first season as a 49er, Dawson made 27
consecutive field goals and also scored 140 points, the second-most points ever
in a single season in team history.
That
season Dawson also made 32 field goals, a personal best, and even experienced
his first playoff appearance.
In a Wild Card matchup against Green Bay, Dawson
kicked the game-winning field goal to give the 49ers a 23-20 victory.
He
remained a consistent presence in San Fran for four seasons and his time as a
49er included his 400th career field goal against Jacksonville on
November 20, 2016.
Dawson is a Cardinal
Once the
2016 season concluded, Dawson was released by the Niners.
He was not
unemployed for long.
Shortly
after leaving San Francisco, he signed with Arizona in early
2017.
In a Week
12 contest against the Jaguars that year, Dawson kicked a 57-yard field goal
(his longest ever in a regular-season game) en route to a 27-24 win.
He ended up making four field goals that day and
was named the NFC Special teams Player of the Week.
As a member of the Cardinals, Dawson became just
the 11th player in league history to appear in 300 games.
In late
November of the 2018 season, he was placed on Injured Reserve after
sustaining a hip injury.
Then,
after two decades in pro football, Dawson decided to call it a career.
Retiring as a Brown
(Photo By Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire)
Once he
made the decision, Dawson thought it would be fitting if he retired with the
city he called home for 14 years.
On August
21, 2019, he signed a one day
contract with Cleveland and officially announced his retirement
from the NFL.
“To have the
opportunity to come back home and retire with the organization and the city
that I love is incredibly meaningful to me,” Dawson said in a release from the
team at the time. “It only seems right to have the opportunity to do this with
the fans that have been so good to me and my family.”
During his
retirement ceremony, Dawson shared a memory of a conversation he had with
Groza during his first training camp with the Browns.
“…my first training camp here I was summoned over to the tent, and
Mr. Groza wanted to speak with me. I could not believe I was getting a chance
to speak with Mr. Groza. He said some very nice things, and I finally had the
nerve to ask a question and I said, ‘What do I do in the stadium?’
He goes, ‘You know those flags on the uprights?’ I said, ‘Yes
sir.’ He goes, ‘They tell you which way the wind is blowing.’ This is going to
make headlines: Mr. Groza was wrong because I can’t tell you how many times I
looked at those uprights and one flag was pointing that way and one flag was
pointing that way. Not every day you get to correct a Hall of Famer.”
During his NFL career, Dawson appeared in 305
games and finished ranked eighth in league history
with 441 field goals made and 11th with 1,847 points scored.
Since
retiring, he has primarily been living with his wife and three kids in
Texas where he finally gets to see his family on a semi-regular basis.
On March
6, 2020, Dawson was hired as Special
teams Coordinator at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville where he will
serve on the staff of head coach (and former NFL quarterback) Trent Dilfer.
Perhaps former Brown Joe Thomas summed
up Dawson’s career the best after Dawson retired:
“Phil Dawson is synonymous
with some of my favorite moments as a Cleveland Brown. From him hitting the
stanchion on the goalpost in Baltimore to the Snow Bowl game in Cleveland where
he made two field goals in 40 mile winds and blizzard conditions. He was the
definition of a professional. I always admired the way he went about his
business. He is a true class act and a great teammate, friend and family man.”
