[2] He was a nationally ranked high school track and field performer in the discus and shot put.
After having a bad experience playing ninth grade football, Dawson chose not to go out for his high school team his sophomore year.
He was an all-state offensive tackle in high school and eventually accepted a football scholarship to attend the University of Kentucky.
[3] Among his high school teammates were future NFL players Marc Logan and Cornell Burbage.
[8] In his rookie season he played guard alongside Hall of Fame center Mike Webster.
[2] In contrast, his friendly off-field demeanor led to a second nickname, Ned Flanders, after the annoyingly cheerful character from The Simpsons.
He had exceptional quickness; I think that really the measure of a center is his ability to play against powerful guys that are lined up over him and try to bull-rush the pocket and collapse it in the middle so that the quarterback can't step up.
[15] In 2007, he was selected for the Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team which was named as part of the franchise's 75th season celebration.
[17] His election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012 was preceded by three consecutive times of being a finalist listed for the honor.