Norfolk, Virginia โ Alan Dawson and his wife, Mari, entered the Broderick Dining Commons on Friday morning, confused as to why they had been called to attend a meeting of the Old Dominion's Board of Visitors.
“All I know is that Wood Selig insisted I be here,” said Dawson, ODU's director of athletics, Dr. Wood Selig. “He didn't tell me why.”
The longtime ODU men's soccer coach said he didn't know what was going on even after head football coach Ricky Rahn, head volleyball coach Fred Chao and six other athletic officials came in and took their seats. I was left perplexed.
So Coach Selig stood up and introduced Dawson, noting that he retired this fall after 27 seasons as the fifth winningest coach in Division I.
Next, R. Bruce Bradley, president of the Board of Visitors and former publisher and president of the Virginian-Pilot newspaper, visited to commemorate Mr. Dawson's long and successful career at ODU. The resolution adopted by the committee was read out.
“It's number 5 in America,” Bradley said before starting to read the book. “That's pretty impressive.”
The entire resolution took nearly three minutes to read, but it essentially summarized Mr. Dawson's professional and personal successes, including his success in raising his and Mari's three children. .
ODU President Dr. Brian O. Hemphill then presented the resolution to Mr. Dawson.
Alan Dawson and R. Bruce Bradley shake hands as ODU President Dr. Brian O. Hemphill looks on.
Dawson took to the stage and said, “We have another football coach here,” drawing laughter.
“Thank you so much,” he added, his voice filled with emotion. “It means a lot to Mali and we are a team. It's been a great journey and we really enjoyed it.”
โThe truth is, I would have done this job for zero pay. It was all about passion.โ
His eyes watered and he pointed towards Mari. He took credit for his success. “It was her passion for her,” she said. โIt was a passion for children.
โIt was really nice.
“Thank you for letting me be your coach.”
When he left, the 100 or so people in the boardroom gave him a standing ovation, something that took 27 years to achieve.
Mari and Alan Dawson at the podium during Friday's Board of Visitors meeting.
Alan Dawson's determination:
Meanwhile, Alan Dawson, the son of Isabel Dawson and Stanley Dawson, was born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland and became an accomplished soccer player who aspired to play soccer at an American university from an early age. .
Meanwhile, Alan Dawson came to America in 1977 at the age of 17 and played four seasons of football at Lock Haven, where he played on two national championship teams and graduated with a master's degree in political science. .
Alan Dawson then spent three seasons as a graduate assistant at UNC Greensboro, where he led the Spartans to the 1985 Division III national championship and graduated with a master's degree in physical education.
Meanwhile, Alan Dawson was hired as the head coach at Methodist University, where he finished nine seasons with a 129-30-1 record, leading the Monarchs to six consecutive NCAA Division III tournaments and the 1995 national finals, and an undefeated regular season. He was a three-time coach, seven-time All-American and two-time Academic All-American, and was named Dixie Conference Coach of the Year five times and NCAA South Coach of the Year twice.
Meanwhile, Alan Dawson met and married Mari Jacobelli at Methodist University, and together they raised three highly successful children: sons Alex and Garrick, and daughter Ellesse.
Meanwhile, Alan Dawson spent one season as a part-time assistant coach at the University of North Carolina in 1996, hoping to become a Division I head coach.
Alan Dawson, meanwhile, was hired as coach of the Old Dominion University men's soccer team in 1996 and went on to win 262 games over the next 27 years, leading the Monarchs to 12 NCAA Tournament championships and six in the conference tournament or regular season. won the title.
Meanwhile, Alan Dawson recruited and developed nine National Soccer Coaches Association All-Americans, five Conference Players of the Year, five Academic All-Americans, and 11 Major League Soccer SuperDraft picks at Old Dominion. did.
Alan Dawson has been named the Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year four times, the Virginia Sports Information Directors Association Coach of the Year twice, and the National Soccer Coaches Association South Atlantic Coach of the Year once. ing.
Alan Dawson, on the other hand, won 391 games, which ranks fourth nationally among active men's soccer coaches, ranks in the top 25 in career wins among all coaches, and leads Old Dominion University with 1. It became the rank.
Alan Dawson, on the other hand, advocated high standards of discipline and conduct on and off the field, including a rigorous insistence on academic excellence.
Meanwhile, Alan Dawson touched and influenced the lives of hundreds of players he coached at Old Dominion University. It was not only about teaching them the discipline of hard work and the sacrifices of being a good teammate, but also about serving the community and advocating for contributing to society. Be kind to others.
Meanwhile, Alan Dawson coached hundreds of youngsters in the Olympic Development Program and other summer leagues during the offseason.
Alan Dawson, on the other hand, was a gentleman on and off the field, treating players and coaches with respect and leading others by example with excellent sportsmanship.
Meanwhile, Alan Dawson decided it was time to retire at age 60 and coached his final season at Old Dominion University in the fall of 2023.
Meanwhile, we acknowledge Alan Dawson's dedication to Old Dominion University, the young men he coached, and the family he loved, the children he was an excellent father to and the wife he says he made them all. Of course. Success in his career is possible.
Therefore, the Old Dominion University Board of Visitors would like to congratulate Alan Dawson on his recent retirement, thank him for his nearly 30 years of dedicated service to the University, and wish him and his entire family the best of luck in the next phase of his life. I resolved to pray that he would be able to spend his time safely.
Minium is senior executive writer for athletics at ODU. To contact him, hminium@odu.edu or follow him twitter, Facebook or Instagram