Byron Dawson, Head Coach
Centenary College
Dawson will lead the Gents in their historic 2024 campaign as Centenary will play its first NCAA season in over a half-century this fall.
Dawson, named head coach in March of 2022, led Centenary in its historic return to the gridiron last fall for the first time since the 1940's as the finished their Independent College Season with a 9-1 record. The Gents outscored their nine opponents, 375-113, and recorded three shutouts as they opened the season with seven-straight wins.
The Gents will face the Hendrix College Warriors at home on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. at Mayo Field in their 2024 season opener.
Dawson is one of the most recognizable names in local football at any level. He put together an impressive high school career at Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport, where he was selected as the USA Today High School All American Defensive MVP for Louisiana, named Class 3A All-State and Defensive MVP, and helped lead Evangel to a 15-0 record in 1997, three state championships, and a No. 17 national ranking, among other accolades. Dawson was also the back to back state champion in the shot put his junior and senior year.
Dawson is a graduate of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge where he was a four-year letterman on the LSU defensive line, recording 86 tackles and four sacks while playing for Nick Saban, Pete Jenkins, Will Muschamp, Karl Dunbar, and Bo Davis. Dawson was part of LSU’s nationally-ranked defense during the 2001 season, during which the Tigers upset Tennessee to win the SEC Championship and then defeated Illinois in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
He started his coaching career at Redemptorist High School Baton Rouge in 2004 before returning home to an impressive 15-year coaching tenure at his high school alma mater, Evangel. During Dawson’s tenure, Evangel Christian Academy reached the Louisiana State Championship seven times (2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2016). He also earned the honor of AIM National Coach of the Year in 2017. In that same year, Dawson was named NFHS Louisiana Coach of the Year and McDonald’s Shreveport Times Sports team of the Year. During Dawson’s tenure as Evangel head coach, the Eagles ranked sixth nationally in developing NFL players.
Dawson earned All-District Coach of the Year every season from 2013-19. He received All-City Coach of the Year in Shreveport in 2015. As a Defensive Coordinator at Evangel, Dawson was known as an innovative play caller, developing the Dawson tilt technique on the defensive front and leading defensive units to No. 1 rankings in Louisiana in 2010, 2016, and 2017.
He also developed four Army All-Americans in Jermauria Rasco, Jerry Tillery, Micah Baskerville, and Davin Cotton. Tillery was also was selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers. His program also produced the 2019 Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in Ar’Darius Washington and the 2021 Big 12 Championship MVP QB Blake Shapen. Dawson has coached and developed several Division 1 athletes and 10 NFL Players.
In March of 2020, Dawson joined the Tulane University football staff as defensive line coach, where he made an immediate impact and was a finalist for FootballScoop’s 2020 National Defensive Line Coach of the Year. Dawson’s defensive line combined for 222 tackles, 45.5 tackles for loss, and 24.5 sacks. Tulane’s 8.4 tackles for loss per game led the American Athletic Conference and ranked sixth nationally, while the Green Wave’s 3.1 sacks per game also led the league and ranked 13th overall. In 2021 the Tulane defense was #2 in the AAC in sacks per game (2.8) and #6 in rushing yards allowed. In 2021, Dawson recruited seven highly touted defensive linemen to the Tulane squad and mentored two All Americans and NFL draft picks, Cam Sample and Patrick Johnson. While at Tulane, Dawson was selected for the NFL’s highly competitive Bill Walsh Coaching Fellowship Program with the Los Angeles Rams as a defensive line coaching intern. Under the leadership of 2021 NFL Defensive Line Coach of The Year Eric Henderson, Dawson had the opportunity to learn at the highest level of football, obtaining extensive knowledge from several notable NFL coaches.