Holding back tears, Dawson’s retirement speech was befitting his career – meticulous, classy and sincere.
“It’s good to be home,” Dawson said for openers. “There had not been many days over the last six years since I left that I did not think about coming back to Cleveland. To have the opportunity to do it today is not only special for me but for my entire family as well. I am humbled that the Browns organization would take time to make this happen.”
The Browns officially signed Dawson on Friday after clearing a roster spot by waiving receiver Blake Jackson, who suffered a knee injury and will miss at least six weeks, with an injury designation. Dawson was then placed on the team's reserve/retired list making his retirement official.
Dawson beat out three kickers in 1999, the expansion season for the Browns’ return to the NFL after a three-year hiatus following Art Modell’s move to Baltimore.
Then head coach Chris Palmer – of “runaway train” quote fame – famously told Dawson when he won the job, “we are going to start with you.”
Dawson kicked for the Browns for 13 seasons. Palmer coached for two.
“Whatever he meant by that, I am not exactly sure but the way I took it was I am one kick away from losing my job,” Dawson said. “I do not know that I ever shook that my entire career of 21 years later. I would miss one kick and I would think, ‘That is it. I am out of a job.”
Dawson wanted to be like his dad, a quarterback, but he ended up a kicker.
As fate would have it, he wound up in Cleveland, home to one of the greatest to ever do it in Hall of Famer Lou Groza.
“My first training camp here I was summoned over to the tent, and Mr. Groza wanted to speak with me. I could not believe I was getting a chance to speak with Mr. Groza,” Dawson said. “He said some very nice things, and I finally had the nerve to ask a question and I said, ‘What do I do in the stadium?’ He goes, ‘You know those flags on the uprights?’ I said, ‘Yes sir.’ He goes, ‘They tell you which way the wind is blowing.’ This is going to make headlines: Mr. Groza was wrong because I can’t tell you how many times I looked at those uprights and one flag was pointing that way and one flag was pointing that way. Not every day you get to correct a Hall of Famer.”
Dawson went on to pass Groza’s mark for field goals made.
That first season when the Browns returned in 1999 saw Dawson score the first rushing touchdown – in an 18-17 koss to the Bengals in Week 5 off a fake field goal.
“My kids don’t believe that I was able to do that, but I told them it was pre-them so life was simple, not as much adversity and I could run,” Dawson said. “The celebration with Chris was the highlight of that year. I don’t want to get anybody in trouble, but I was fined by the NFL for that celebration - $5,000, which is a tax write off, right? Two days later, I walk in and in my locker was an envelope with $5,000 cash in my locker. I think Mr. Lerner took care of me. He had my loyalty after that.”
He also beat the Steelers with a game winner as time expired at Three Rivers Stadium.
“I still swear they opened the centerfield wall to make the wind blow stronger in our face,” Dawson said. “That was my first professional game-winner, and it didn’t matter. We beat the Steelers, and that is all that did matter.”
In 2007 Dawson made two of the most memorable kicks in the expansion era.
He forced overtime in Baltimore with a kick that bounced of the stanchion – or as it became affectionately known as ‘the Dawson bar’ – as time expired in regulation. It was originally ruled no good, but the call was overturned. The Browns won 33-30 in overtime.
A month later, in a blizzard and half a foot of snow on the field at FirstEnergy Stadium, Dawson hit one of the most incredible field goals you’ll ever see – a boomerang shot from 49 yards away that knifed through the wind, skidded over the crossbar taking a bunch of snow with it and through.
Throughout his career, Dawson kept a diary of every kick – field conditions, weather, wind, situations.
“It might be on eBay soon,” Dawson joked.
Dawson ranks second in team history in scoring with 1,271 points and his 215 games are the third-most by a Browns player.
In 2012, Dawson became the only Browns kicker selected to the Pro Bowl.
“The fans came behind me, supported me, made the Pro Bowl push,” Dawson said, “but even beyond that, every time I took the field, I could feel the confidence they had in me – probably more than I had in myself – and I was determined that I would not let them down, and it was the best season I ever had. That is a perfect example of the power of the Cleveland fans.”
For as great as Dawson was on the field, his bond with the city and fans was stronger.
“There is no greater sports town in America than Cleveland,” Dawson said. “There are no greater fans in football anywhere.
“There will be no greater place on the planet to be (than Cleveland) when the Lombardi Trophy goes down Euclid Avenue. You can bet your last dollar that I will be there to celebrate with everyone.”
After being forced to leave Cleveland when the organization decided not to sign him to a long-term contract, Dawson signed with San Francisco where he spent four years before finishing his career the last two with Arizona.
“I took a great deal of satisfaction in knowing I was able to fool two fan bases that I was halfway decent,” Dawson said of his time with the Browns and 49ers.
Dawson appeared in 305 career regular season games, ranked seventh all-time, during his 21 NFL seasons. He is eighth in field goals made with 441, 11th in points scored with 1,847 and 16th in field goal percentage at 83.8 percent.
Dawson holds franchise records for the most career field goals (305), highest career field goal percentage (84.0), most field goals in a season (30 in 2008), highest field goal percentage in a season (93.5 in 2012), field goals in a game (six on Nov. 5, 2006), most consecutive field goals made (29) and most consecutive games with a field goal (23).
While fans wish Dawson had one last season in him, he is done. There’s no talking him into coming back for one last run.
“I think I’m the Toby Keith song,” Dawson said with a smile. “I’m not as good as I was once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was.”
For modern Browns fans, he’ll always be the best to ever do it.