Lin Dawson named GSU athletic director
By: GSU Sports Information
Issue date: 11/13/08 Section: Front
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Dawson brings a wealth of experience to Grambling State as the Kinston , N.C. native has held significant roles in higher education and business settings where he has been a professional athlete, entrepreneur, graduate school professor, counselor, minister, consultant, director, athletic administrator, program designer and senior officer over the course of his 27-year professional career.
Dawson attended North Carolina State University and played football for the Wolfpack from 1977 to 1981. He was drafted by the NFL's New England Patriots in 1981 and played an integral part in the team's success as he helped lead the Patriots to the 1985 AFC Championship Title and an appearance in Super Bowl XX while playing tight end.
In addition to his role on the field during his 10-year tenure with New England, Dawson also had a strong locker room presence as he played a key role in negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with the NFL's Management Council while serving as the team's player representative for four years. In addition, Dawson also served as team chaplain for six years.
Once his playing days came to an end, Dawson moved over to the administrative side of athletics and served as the Associate Director of Training and Education at the Center for the Study of Sport in Society (CSSS) at Northeastern University in Boston, Mass. from 1991 to 1994. As a member of the CSSS staff, Dawson worked with an award-winning program called Project TEAMWORK that used former professional athletes to address issues of race, ethnicity and gender.
Under his leadership, the CSSS won national awards from the Anti-Defamation League, the Peter F. Drucker Foundation and was named the country's best conflict resolution program by the White House in June of 1994.
Dawson continued to move up the athletic ladder as he accepted the position of Associate Athletic Director at his alma mater of North Carolina State in 1994. While at NC State, Dawson managed ImPack, the department's student-athlete development program along with serving as sport administrator for football for five years. Dawson showed his knack for leadership as the ImPack Program was awarded the inaugural 'Program of Distinction' by the NCAA Division I Athletic Directors Association in 1997.
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