Athlete of the Week: Clifton Dawson

Chris Menick ’00, author of three rushing entries in the Crimson record book, is perilously close to being reduced to a mere footnote. His editor?

Clifton Dawson.

Just three games into Harvard’s slate, the sophomore tailback has already amassed 498 yards rushing and nine scores, moving him within striking distance of each of Menick’s single-season marks—1,267 yards and 13 touchdowns—set in 1997.

After his latest outburst—172 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries—Dawson is on pace for 1,660 yards and a whopping 30 trips to paydirt. The Crimson record for rushing touchdowns in a career is 29, held by Mike Giardi ’94.

“There have been some great players at Harvard,” Dawson said. “To be among them would be a great honor.”

And it isn’t as if opponents don’t know he’s coming. Dawson announced his arrival loud and clear with 1,187 yards and 12 touchdowns last year—despite splitting time with Ryan Tyler for the first half of the season—then rushed for more than 100 yards and three scores against Holy Cross and Brown to kick off 2004.

But the knowledge of just what Dawson is capable of has only made the resulting frustration more acute for unsuccessful defenses.

Lafayette coach Frank Tavani saw firsthand precisely how talented the then-unheralded freshman was when his Leopards played host to Dawson’s coming out party, a 218-yard, four-touchdown performance that put an end to Tim Murphy’s running back by committee experiment. Yet, he and his coordinators were utterly powerless to prevent a repeat incident one year later.

“I think they came out to stop the run,” Murphy said, “And to try and stop Clifton Dawson.”

In that effort, Tavani regularly packed eight defenders in the box to prevent the 70-yard touchdown runs that have practically become old hat thanks to Dawson. And if that had been his only objective, Tavani would have succeeded.

Aided by a safety committed to stopping the run, Lafayette’s front seven contained Dawson, surrendering no runs longer than 16 yards.

But his seven carries of 10 yards or more—while they lacked the panache of those game-changing bursts—certainly didn’t help Tavani’s cause.

Dawson made it clear on Harvard’s first possession that he would not be denied, no matter how many would-be tacklers cheated forward to stop him, carrying seven times for 47 yards and the game’s opening touchdown, a punch-in from one yard out.

As the Crimson marched the length of the field, the end result was never in doubt. Dawson would score. It was only a question of how long the Leopards would be able to hold out.

“He’s a solid back,” Tavani said. “He didn’t go to Northwestern because he wasn’t a I-A player. He’s obviously a I-A player playing at the I-AA level.”

With Lafayette keying on Dawson, the skies parted for quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who spent the second quarter attacking the depleted secondary. But despite his seven yards in the period, there was never any doubt the ball would return to Dawson’s hands.

Predictably, Dawson marched well past 100 yards for the ninth consecutive game. He carried the ball every time Harvard advanced inside the Lafayette 10 during the second half and maintained his status as the nation’s top scorer at 18 points per game thanks to two more touchdowns.

And just as predictably, the Leopards defense was reduced to a mere footnote.

—TIMOTHY J. McGINN