The Daily Pennsylvanian
Harvard football has had its share of good running backs. But two years ago, its leading rusher tallied 1,187 yards, good for second place all-time among Harvard rushers in a single season. He also ranked second in the Ivies in yards per game and 10th in I-AA in total yards.
And he did all this as a freshman.
Harvard tailback Clifton Dawson made his presence known in 2003, becoming the first freshman in Ivy League history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Already succeeding the league's rookie single-season rushing record, Dawson became the first offensive player in Ivy League history to earn first-team All-Ivy honors as a freshman.
Now, the junior from Scarborough, Ontario, looks to solidify his position as one of the premier backs in the Ivy League. And with the loss of Ivy Player of the Year quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to graduation, Dawson emerges as the main threat of a Harvard team seeking back-to-back Ivy League titles.
"We've been fortunate to have had some good running backs in our program," Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. "But I'm not sure that we've had a guy who can impact as much as Clifton Dawson does. He is a real difference-maker."
Last season, Dawson led the Ancient Eight in rushing while setting the Crimson's single-season records in rushing, touchdowns and total points. He finished second in all of Division I-AA in scoring and rushed for at least 100 yards in seven of Harvard's 10 games, including a season-high 201 yards against Princeton. After posting his second 1,000 yard season, Dawson was selected as a first-team All-American.
This year, Dawson finds himself only 841 yards shy of capturing the Crimson's all-time rushing record, and is poised to make a run at the Ivy League's all-time rushing record of 4,715 yards, set by Cornell's Ed Marinaro in 1971.
After finishing last season as one of the 16 finalists for the Walter Payton Award, Dawson is a strong candidate to take home the award this year, which is given to Division I-AA's best offensive player.
But Murphy believes that all of Dawson's past accomplishments do not put any pressure on his rising star.
"Clifton is very humble when it comes to his individual accomplishments," Murphy said. "He doesn't feel as much pressure to perform for himself as much as he wants to do whatever it takes to help our team win."
Since his stellar freshman campaign, Dawson has evolved into a more well-rounded player, assuming new roles that differed from those of the average tailback.
"After his freshman year, we stressed to him the importance of becoming a better blocker, and he responded," Murphy said. "This year we've asked him to work on becoming more of a receiving option, and he's welcomed that challenge."
"I think it would be difficult to find a more complete running back, certainly at the I-AA level," Murphy added.
It comes as no surprise that Dawson was heavily recruited out of high school. He originally turned down Harvard to accept a scholarship offer at Northwestern.
But after redshirting his first year, Dawson contacted Harvard and sought a transfer. The transition from a Big Ten school to one in Division I-AA allowed Dawson to start immediately and retain four years of eligibility.
Dawson "told us he was looking for a more challenging academic environment, and I think that Harvard has been able to provide that for him," Murphy said.
Dawson now has established himself as one of the most feared players in the Ivy League. Against the Quakers, he ran for 160 yards on 33 carries in the Crimson's Ivy championship-clinching victory last year.
"He runs hard, and he's fast," Penn linebacker Ric San Doval said. "In the game of football, speed kills. You think you have a pursuit angle on him, and next thing you know he's around the corner on you."
Penn coach Al Bagnoli acknowledges that Dawson represents the emergence of the tailback position as the dominant offensive force in the league.
"We're in a cycle now where there seems to be more of a run-game emphasis," Bagnoli said. "Everybody seems to have an experienced and talented tailback, and so now you've got to get ways to get eight guys in the box and be a little more creative in the running game."
"Historically, we've been a pretty good run defense, so that doesn't overly concern me," he added.
Bagnoli might have been referring to Penn's 2002 and 2003 Ivy championship teams, when Penn led the league in rushing defense. But last year, the Quakers ranked a modest fifth in the Ivies in yards allowed, giving up an average of 128.7 yards per game.
The Quakers still have eight games to play before they set their focus on Dawson and the Crimson on November 12. By then, the Harvard running back could be putting the finishing touches on another All-American season.
Dawson's domain - Became first Harvard offensive back to earn first-team All-American since 1931. - Set Harvard single-season records for rushing yards (1,302), rushing touchdowns (17), total touchdowns (18) and points (108). - On pace to make legitimate run at Ivy all-time rushing record of 4,715 yards.
