SENATE RESOLUTION 53

(By Senators Plymale, Woelfel, Maynard, Romano, Stollings, Prezioso, Williams, Unger, Kessler and Facemire)

[Introduced February 26, 2016]

Honoring William “Red” Dawson for his dedication and service to Marshall University and the state of West Virginia.

Whereas, William “Red” Dawson was born and raised in Valdosta, Georgia on December 4, 1942 and was nicknamed “Red” for his red hair; and

Whereas, Red Dawson received a football scholarship to Florida State University, was team co-captain, and an All-American at both tight end and defensive end.  Head coach Peterson described him as, “...one of the best team leaders I have ever been associated with. When ‘Red’ spoke, his teammates listened”. Red, #83 and being 6'-3" and 230 lbs., finished his collegiate career at Florida State with a 36-19 win over Oklahoma in the Gator Bowl.  His position coach his final two years was the legendary coach Bobby Bowden.  They developed a life-long friendship, with Coach Bowden frequently referring to Red as one of his all-time favorite players and friends, saying simply “I love him”; and

Whereas, Dawson was drafted by both the Los Angeles Rams and the Boston Patriots, he signed with the Patriots in 1965. He played nine games for Boston in 1965 before a knee injury curtailed his career in 1966 with the Orlando Panthers of the Continental Football League; and

Whereas, In 1968, at the young age of twenty-six, Red Dawson was given his first job as a coach. He was hired as a receivers coach at Marshall University by head coach Perry Moss, his former coach for the Orlando Panthers.  Coach Moss was replaced later by Rick Tolley. Coach Dawson continued his role under Tolley’s leadership and became a recruiting asset for the Football team; and

Whereas, On November 14, 1970, Marshall University played East Carolina University in football and lost 17-14.  The chartered jet bringing the Marshall Football team home that night crashed into the hillside just short of the airport, the worst sports-related plane crash in American history; and

Whereas, Marshall University and its surrounding community lost all seventy-five people aboard, including Marshall head coach Rick Tolley, assistant coach, Frank Loria, thirty-seven football players, the team doctors, university athletic director and twenty-four wonderful team boosters. The Marshall University community was left in mourning and devastated as “the whole heart of the town was aboard”; and

Whereas, William “Red” Dawson and graduate assistant Gail Parker were sent on a recruiting mission after the game and drove back instead of boarding the plane. The news of the plane crash broke on the radio as they were driving to Huntington. Their lives were spared but forever changed; and

Whereas, Still in mourning and coping with survivor’s guilt, Dawson was appointed acting head coach in 1970 until a new head coach could be found. The Marshall University Athletic Director recruited a new coach, Jack Lengyel, to help revive the broken team. Coach Lengyel persuaded Red Dawson to stay on as an assistant coach to help him rebuild the Marshall University Football team and gain the respect of the community; and

Whereas, Coach Lengyel, coach Dawson and the Marshall University administration convinced the NCAA to do something never done before in modern day football, to allow freshmen to play on the varsity team. Coach Lengyel and Dawson were able to pull together a ragtag group of first-years, walk-ons, and the nine veteran players who had not been on the plane that night; and

Whereas, In 1971, the Thundering Herd defeated Ohio’s Xavier University 15-13 in its first home game since the crash in an emotional victory. The team won one more emotional home game that season against Bowling Green. Coach Dawson resigned in the fall of 1972; and

Whereas, After his last season of coaching, Red Dawson distanced himself from Marshall University and its football program; however, he could not part with the city of Huntington. He began working in construction and eventually owned his own successful construction company, which he operated for thirty-five years prior to retiring; and 

Whereas, When Jim Donnan became the Herd’s head coach in 1990 he contacted Red Dawson to involve him with the program again. Red met with Donnan and rekindled his relationship with Marshall Football. His relationship with Marshall has grown closer under coaches Bobby Pruett, Mark Snyder and now Doc Holliday; and

Whereas, The making of the movie, We Are Marshall, helped Dawson, the Huntington community and the state of West Virginia in the healing process. When Warner Brothers set out to make the movie, Red felt it was his “duty that it was positive and respective of the family of the boys who died on that plane”. He was instrumental in retelling and consulting with screenwriters to create the worldwide sensation. The movie, We Are Marshall, premier in Huntington was at the historic Keith Albee Performing Arts Center on December 12, 2006, attended by Matthew McConaughey, playing coach Lengyel, and Matthew Fox, playing coach Red Dawson; and

Whereas, Another step in overcoming his survivor’s guilt came from opening up to write his book, A Coach In Progress: Marshall Football – A Story of Survival and Revival. The book was released on November 10, 2015, which coincided with the 45th anniversary of the crash. Forewords were provided by coach Bobby Bowden and Fred Biletnikoff, a former Florida State co-captain with Red and Pro Football Hall of Famer for the Oakland Raiders.  Biletnikoff wrote in the foreward: “Knowing Red for more than fifty years, the one thing I can say is if you could have only one friend, Red Dawson is the friend you want to have”; and

Whereas, William “Red” Dawson can still be found at Marshall’s scrimmages and, on game days in Huntington, at tailgates and along the sidelines.  He resides in Huntington, West Virginia, and remains a huge supporter of Marshall University; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate:

That the Senate hereby honors William “Red” Dawson for his dedication and service to Marshall University and the state of West Virginia; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to William “Red” Dawson.