Cawthon was a member of Florida's "Phantom Four" backfield with Clyde Crabtree, Carl Brumbaugh, and Royce Goodbread in 1928 which led the nation with 336 points scored.

[5] He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great.

"[6] Cawthon was also active in the affairs of Florida State University, and was elected to the FSU Hall of Fame in 1987.

Cawthon was a prominent running back for Tom Sebring and Charlie Bachman's Florida Gators varsity football teams from 1927 to 1929.

He also had a 40-yard run in the 26–6 win over Georgia in Savannah,[11] the first-ever victory over the Bulldogs in school history.