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Robert Charles Dawson (February 4, 1932 – December 10, 2017) was a former Canadian Football League player and a Grey cup champion.

Dawson was a standout junior player with the Windsor AKO Fratmen team, winners of the 1952 national junior championship (the "Little Grey Cup") in a 15–12 victory over the Edmonton Wildcats. Several CFL teams were bidding for his services, but he chose the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, with whom he'd have a 7-season career. In his first season, he won the Gruen Trophy as best rookie in the east (no stats were kept, and only Canadians qualified for the award) and won the Grey Cup championship. He also won the Grey Cup in 1957.

Primarily a defensive back, he made five interceptions in his career, and he could substitute on offense, catching 11 passes in 1956. He could also play quarterback, and in 1956 he got the chance, which was a rarity, as very few Canadians got to play quarterback during this era. On October 20, 1956, the Cats were suffering a record setting defeat to the Montreal Alouettes, 82–14, when coach Jim Trimble replaced starting quarterback Tony Curcillo. Dawson came on and completed five of eight passes for one touchdown.

Dawson was enshrined in the Windsor/Essex County Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. He died on December 10, 2017, at the age of 85.

References

1. Windsor AKO Fratmen - 1952 team
2. 1956 CFL Record Book
3. Windsor/Essex County Sports Hall of Fame - Bobby Dawson
4. "Torstar Obituaries and Guestbooks".
5. "Obit: Dawson helped Fratmen to national title and won two Grey Cups". Archived from the original on 2017-12-17.

• 1932 births
• 2017 deaths
• Hamilton Tiger-Cats players
• Canadian Football League Rookie of the Year Award winners
• Sportspeople from Bradenton, Florida
• Canadian football people from Windsor, Ontario
• Players of Canadian football from Ontario
• McMaster Marauders football coaches