RED DAWSON AWARD
The Red Dawson Award was created to honor the values that define both Red Dawson’s legacy and the spirit of Marshall football: leadership, character, loyalty, service, perseverance, and commitment to others.
The award program is a season-long recognition program, encouraging Marshall football players to demonstrate these qualities not only on game day, but throughout the entire season—in the locker room, on the field, in the classroom, and in the community.
Throughout the season, players will have the opportunity to distinguish themselves through their actions, leadership, dedication to teammates, and commitment to the values represented by Red Dawson. The program emphasizes that true leadership is not measured by statistics alone, but by how a player supports his teammates and represents the Marshall family.
At the conclusion of the season, the player who best exemplifies these qualities will be honored as the Red Dawson Award recipient at the team's end-of-season banquet.
The award serves as a lasting reminder that Marshall football is about more than winning games. It is about the bonds formed between teammates, the responsibility to support one another, and the character demonstrated long after the final whistle.
Through the Red Dawson Award, Herd Brothers is proud to help recognize a Marshall football player whose actions throughout the season demonstrate what it truly means to be part of the Herd
Red's Legacy
Red Dawson's connection to Marshall football represents one of the most powerful examples of loyalty, sacrifice, leadership, and brotherhood in the University's history.
On November 14, 1970, Red Dawson was serving as a Marshall assistant coach and defensive coordinator. He did not board the team flight because he had stayed behind after the game to travel to Ferrum College to recruit on the way back to Huntington. While traveling back toward Huntington, Dawson learned that the Marshall plane had crashed. He continued toward Huntington, returning to the community and the football family he knew had been devastated.
That return to Huntington was more than a physical journey home. It marked the beginning of a responsibility Dawson would carry for the rest of his life: helping Marshall University, its football program, and the families of those lost move forward after an unimaginable tragedy.
Seventy-five people—players, coaches, staff, supporters, and crew members—were killed in the crash.
In the days that followed, Dawson helped hold together the surviving players and rebuild Marshall football. He remained on the Marshall coaching staff during the 1971 season under head coach Jack Lengyel, helping guide the Young Thundering Herd through one of the most difficult seasons in college football history.
RED'S RETURN TO MARSHALL FOOTBALL
Red's return to Marshall football ultimately became much more than a return to the sideline. After years in which the memories of 1970 made it difficult for him to attend games, he eventually found his way back into the Marshall football family.
From that point forward, Red and his wife, Sharon Dawson, became a visible and deeply devoted presence around Marshall football. They were in the stands and around the program, supporting the Herd and its players.
Their presence was not ceremonial—it reflected a continuing commitment to the people and the program.
That devotion is part of what makes Red's legacy so powerful. He did not simply survive the tragedy of 1970 and move on. He returned to Marshall football, remained connected to Huntington, and continued to show up for the Herd. His presence represented a bridge between the players and coaches who were lost, the generation that rebuilt the program, and the players who wear the green and white today.
That spirit of Red's return—and Sharon's unwavering support beside him—should be recognized as part of the culture of Marshall football.
At its core, the culture Red helped build is about devotion to the team, commitment to one another, resilience in the face of adversity, and understanding that being part of the Herd is bigger than any individual.
Red's story is therefore not simply one of surviving a tragedy. It is a story of returning, rebuilding, remaining, and carrying the responsibility of a promise to Marshall and its people.
The Red Dawson Award would ensure that these qualities continue to be recognized and passed from one generation of Marshall football players to the next.