Former NFL kicker Phil Dawson is looking to turn around Hyde Park’s football program as the team’s head coach and assistant athletic director, both new roles for him.
Dawson is originally from Texas and played for 21 seasons in the NFL with teams such as the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals.
“It’s time. Faith. Family. Football,” Dawson said in reaction in a post to his Twitter account on Jan. 4.
Dawson wants to build a team first environment at Hyde Park.
“Any success you accomplish as a player, you never do it alone,” Dawson said. “This won’t be any different. As we build this program, any success we have will not be the result of one person’s effort. It will be everybody.”
Dawson is one of a small number of players to play during more than 300 NFL games and was voted to a Pro Bowl in the 2012 season. Initially, Dawson accepted a coaching role at a high school in Tennessee following his retirement from the NFL after the 2019 season. Dawson’s son, Dru, was a quarterback at Vandegrift.
Dawson is 46 years old and is looking to turn around the Hyde Park program, which has only won two games over the past three years. Hyde Park is coming off of a particularly rough season where they had a winless record of 0-10. Despite their recent struggles, Hyde Park Baptist has a history of success, according to a report from the Austin American-Statesman.
The news of Dawson’s hiring by the school was initially released via official social media. Coach Dawson is a part of former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer’s coaching tree, according to a report from the Austin-American Statesman. Dawson wants to build a positive culture at the school and is telling his players to “celebrate every accomplishment,” according to a report from KXAN News.
Hyde Park Baptist is a private school, according to a report from the Austin-American Statesman.
