- Date Of Birth: March 18, 1937
- Date Of Death: December 29, 2020
- State: Kentucky
A. L. “Buck” Dawson, a husband, a father, a friend to many, and a resident of Morehead, Kentucky, passed away December 29, 2020, at home with his loving wife Roberta by his side. He was 83.
He is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Roberta; a daughter, Robin Shaffer (Bill) of Murfreesboro, Tennessee; two sons, Joe Dawson (Laura) of Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, and Bill Dawson (Barbara) of Winter Haven, Florida. He is also survived by 8 loving grandchildren, Megan, Caitlin, Josh, Hannah, Paul, Bethany, Brooke and Brianna: and 8 great grandchildren.
Buck was born in Bradshaw, West Virginia, on March 18, 1937, to Robert Edward Dawson and Lillie Belle Chambers, and raised in Kenova, West Virginia. He graduated from high school in Coal Grove, Ohio, where he was a four-sport athlete in football, basketball, baseball, and track and field. Recruited by Woody Hayes to play football at Ohio State University, he transferred to Morehead State after one season with the Buckeyes.
After a successful career as a player in football and baseball, and graduating from Morehead State University in 1960, he began his coaching career at Lafayette High School in Lexington, then Millersburg Military Institute.
After moving to Florida, and teaching in Polk County schools for several years, he started the cross-country program at Warner Southern University in 199l where he was recognized as Florida Sun Conference Men’s and Women’s Cross-Country Coach of the Year.
In 1995, he was named Florida Southern University’s head cross-country coach where he led the men’s team to ten conference championships, including the last nine in a row, while guiding the women’s team to five league titles. Both squads placed in the top ten in NCAA regional competition ten times. Under Dawson’s guidance, FSU made a combined total of 22 appearances in NCAA postseason meets. He has been honored as Sunshine States Conference Men’s Coach of the Year nine times and SSC Women’s Coach of the Year five times. After retiring in 2007 he continued as a volunteer coach at Florida Southern University, and at Montreat College in Montreat, North Carolina and as track, cross country, and golf coach at Morehead State University.
Recognizing his extraordinary coaching career and rich tradition of winning, he has been inducted into seven halls of fame including West Virginia State Hall of Fame in 2001, Morehead State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001, Florida Southern College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006, Sunshine State Conference Hall of Fame in Orlando, Florida in 2008, Polk County Sports Hall of Fame in Lakeland, Florida in 2008, Kentucky Track and Cross Country Hall of Fame in Lexington, Kentucky in 2010, and the Warner Southern University Sports Hall of Fame in 2017. He was also recognized by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Fiftieth Anniversary – All Time Coaches List.
For over 40 years Buck created a winning tradition wherever he has coached and gives all the credit for his coaching success to God and his supportive wife Roberta.
