Phil Dawson

Philip Drury Dawson (born January 23, 1975) is an American football placekicker for the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League (NFL). He holds the franchise record for most field goals made, passing Hall of Famer Lou Groza in 2010. He is the only player that has been on the roster every year since the Browns returned to the NFL in 1999.

High school years
Dawson attended Lake Highlands High School in Dallas, Texas and was a letterman in football. In a 1992 playoff game at Texas Stadium against Nacogdoches High School, Dawson kicked a 52-yard field goal as time expired to beat Nacogdoches 31-28. He graduated in the class of 1993; the Modell Era Cleveland Browns placekicker Matt Stover attended the same high school, graduating in 1986. As a senior, he was a starter at both kicker and offensive tackle until he hurt his knee in a preseason scrimmage. He thought he might have to have season ending surgery, but he gutted it out, stuck to kicking, and was named as an All-American and the Southwest Region Offensive Player of the Year by SuperPrep.

College career
Dawson attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a four-year letterman in football. After redshirting his freshman year, he scored 80 points his first year of playing. He also tied a school record with 54 consecutive extra points. The following season he made honorary All-America honors while leading the Longhorns in scoring. He made first-team All-America his junior and senior years, while simultaneously making All-Big 12. He earned a B.A. in political science. Dawson is famous for his 1995 game-winning field goal against University of Virginia; booting a 50-yarder against a 30-MPH wind to give Texas a dramatic 17-16 victory as time expired.

Pro career
Dawson was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Oakland Raiders, who then waived him. He was picked up by the New England Patriots and assigned to the practice squad, but never appeared in a game for them. The Cleveland Browns signed him as a free agent in March 1999, and he has remained with the team ever since (and is the only player left from the 1999 squad). Dawson holds the team record for most consecutive field goals made (29) and most field goals in a game (6). Dawson is currently the 7th most accurate kicker in the NFL. On October 10, 2010, Dawson tied Lou Groza for the Browns' career field-goal record with 234. The two are tied for 35th in NFL history.

Dawson scored the first points in the history of the "new" Cleveland Browns in 1999. On October 10 of that year, he scored the only touchdown of his career on a fake field goal against the Bengals in a 18-17 loss. His official career long was a 56-yard field goal on November 17, 2008, which would prove to be the game-winner against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football. However, he did hit a 59-yard field goal on an August 14, 2010 preseason game.

Dawson would have become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2010 season, but he was given the franchise tag on February 22, keeping him for the 2011 season.

Dawson launched PhilDawsonEdge.com to help coaches improve their special teams play and developing high school and college kicking specialists into clutch kickers through kicking camps. He is also a featured speaker at coaching clinics including the American Football Coaches Association Convention (AFCA)], Nike Coach of the Year Clinic, DFW Coaches Clinic and Alamo City Coaches Clinic.

Unusual field goal
On November 18, 2007, Dawson attempted a 51-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter to tie the game against the Baltimore Ravens. The kick carried through the air and hit the left upright and then the rear curved post (stanchion), which bounced the football over the crossbar and into the end zone, in front of the goalpost. The kick was originally ruled no good. Under NFL rules, the play was not reviewable. Officials discussed the play among themselves for several minutes and decided that, since the ball had indeed crossed the crossbar within the goal, whatever happened afterward to the ball did not matter. The kick was considered good, as announced by referee Pete Morelli. However, as the play is not technically reviewable, referee Pete Morelli announced that the play was reversed "after discussion," as opposed to "after further review," as is usually stated. At this point the Ravens, already celebrating in the locker room (they would have won 30-27 if the field goal was no good), were called back out onto the field to proceed to an overtime period. The Browns went on to win the game, 33-30 in overtime, as Dawson came through again with a more visible 33-yard field goal. Phil Dawson finished 4 for 5 in FG's whereas fellow Lake Highlands High School alumnus Matt Stover finished with the Ravens 3 for 3 in FG's.Box Score

Later in the season on December 16, in driving snow and wind gusts up to 40 mph, Dawson kicked another field goal, an improbable 49-yarder, that hit the same center support bar. This field goal helped the Browns achieve an 8-0 win over the Buffalo Bills in blizzard conditions. Hitting this same structure twice in the same season has led some members of the Cleveland press to begin referring to the support bar as "The Dawson Bar."

Prior to the 2008 season, the rule was changed to allow field goal and extra point attempts that hit the uprights or crossbar to be reviewed. This new rule is dubbed the "Phil Dawson Rule."

Personal
Dawson resides in Austin, Texas with his wife, Shannon, and sons, Dru (born 4/13/01) and Beau (4/28/03), and daughter Sophiann (6/23/06). Dawson kicks right-footed but throws left-handed.