Loren Dawson (born c. 1966) is an American high school football coach. He is the head football coach for the American Leadership Academy, a position he has held since 2023. He was the head football coach for Austin College from 2010 to 2022.
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | American Leadership Academy (AZ) |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | c. 1966 (age 57–58) Casa Grande, Arizona, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Arizona State University (1993, 1998) |
| Playing career | |
| 1984–1986 | Phoenix College |
| 1987 | Austin |
| Position(s) | Defensive back |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1990–1992 | Bourgade Catholic HS (AZ) (assistant) |
| 1993 | Midwestern State (GA) |
| 1994–1995 | Bourgade Catholic HS (AZ) |
| 1996–1998 | Phoenix College (OL/LB) |
| 1999–2001 | Phoenix College (AHC/ST/DB) |
| 2002–2007 | Austin (DC/ST) |
| 2008–2009 | Colorado Mines (ST/LB) |
| 2010–2022 | Austin |
| 2023–present | American Leadership Academy (AZ) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 37–85 (college) |
Playing career
editDawson grew up in Casa Grande, Arizona, and played high school football for Casa Grande Union High School. In 1984, he played college football for Phoenix College.[1] In 1987, he transferred to Austin College as a defensive back under head coach Mel Tjeerdsma.[2][3]
Coaching career
editIn 1990, Dawson began his coaching career as an assistant coach for Bourgade Catholic High School.[3] In 1993, he served as a graduate assistant for Midwestern State under head coach Mike Calcote.[3] In 1994, he returned to Bourgade Catholic as the head coach.[3] After two years as head coach, he joined Phoenix College as the offensive line coach and linebackers coach.[4] In 1999, he was promoted to assistant head coach, special teams coordinator, and defensive backs coach.[5][6] In 2002, Dawson served as the defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator for his first stint with Austin under head coaches David Norman and Ronnie Gage.[7] In 2008, he was the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach for Colorado Mines under head coach Bob Stitt.[3][4]
In 2010, Dawson earned his first college head coaching position for Austin College.[8] In thirteen years as head coach he led the team to a 37–85 record and increased the team's roster to over 100 during his tenure.[4] His best seasons came from 2013 to 2015 and in 2019 when the team finished 5–5.[9] He resigned following the 2022 season.[10][11]
In 2023, Dawson returned to high school football as the head football coach for the American Leadership Academy.[4][12][13]
Head coaching record
editCollege
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Kangaroos (Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference) (2010–2011) | |||||||||
| 2010 | Austin | 4–5 | 2–4 | T–5th | |||||
| 2011 | Austin | 0–10 | 0–6 | 7th | |||||
| Austin Kangaroos (NCAA Division III independent) (2012) | |||||||||
| 2012 | Austin | 2–8 | |||||||
| Austin Kangaroos (Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference) (2013–2016) | |||||||||
| 2013 | Austin | 5–5 | 2–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 2014 | Austin | 5–5 | 1–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 2015 | Austin | 5–5 | 1–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 2016 | Austin | 3–7 | 1–5 | 4th | |||||
| Austin Kangaroos (Southern Athletic Association) (2017–2020) | |||||||||
| 2017 | Austin | 3–7 | 1–7 | 9th | |||||
| 2018 | Austin | 2–8 | 2–6 | 8th | |||||
| 2019 | Austin | 5–5 | 4–4 | 5th | |||||
| 2020–21 | Austin | 1–3 | 1–3 | T–6th | |||||
| Austin Kangaroos (American Southwest Conference) (2021–2022) | |||||||||
| 2021 | Austin | 1–8 | 1–8 | 10th | |||||
| 2022 | Austin | 1–9 | 1–7 | T–8th | |||||
| Austin: | 37–85 | 17–55 | |||||||
| Total: | 37–85 | ||||||||
References
edit- ^ "41 prep players give commitments to play football at Phoenix College". Arizona Republic. March 19, 1986. p. 177. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ Vitt, Dawson (September 18, 2023). "Legendary coach leaves mark on college football landscape through more than sport". Northwest Missourian. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Head Football Coach". Austin College. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Vasquez, Maria (August 15, 2023). "Warriors ready to begin new chapter, look to be the best they can be". Pinal Central. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "UW football announces 8 signees". The Billings Gazette. December 21, 2001. p. 6. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "UW football team gets help in secondary". Star-Herald. December 20, 2001. p. 15. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Austin". The Los Angeles Times. August 8, 2002. p. 44. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Dawson named Austin College football coach". SCAC. February 9, 2010. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ Hogue, Cory (November 15, 2022). "Austin College coach Loren Dawson resigns". Dave Campbell's Texas Football. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ Samuels, Doug (November 15, 2022). "Sources: Austin College parts ways with Loren Dawson". Football Scoop. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ Baker, Davis (November 15, 2022). "Loren Dawson resigns as Austin College head football coach". KTen. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Best return". Arizona Republic. August 20, 2023. pp. C3. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "4. Transition game". Arizona Republic. August 15, 2023. pp. B3. Retrieved March 19, 2024.