A Legacy of Humility: Playing College Football with Future NFL Hall of Famer Dermontti Dawson

Legacy. That word can be defined as the long-lasting impact of a particular event, actions, etc. that took place in the past or of a person’s life. As I get older, I try to be more honest with my KSR family and you about life experiences from my time at Kentucky. Most of you reading this weren’t born when I wore the blue and white and have never heard of the players’ names that I write or talk about. And, that’s okay. That’s why I’m here; that’s how I can help. In the past, I reluctantly talked about my playing career because it really wasn’t that impressive or much to talk about. I still feel that way. But, as I reach my mid-50s, I’ve changed my stance and have opened up more. There is a reason why. 

The term “Legacy” is becoming more and more important to me as I grow older. Not for myself, mind you; please understand that. I’m not him. But, more so the legacies and memories of those at UK that I’ve interacted with throughout the years both on and off the playing field. 

Recently, I’ve made a point of thanking and showing appreciation to teammates and lifelong friends. I want them to understand just how big of an impact they’ve made on my life. Time is a precious commodity. Appreciation and humility are traits I covet more at this stage in my life. 

Chris Chenault and The Reason Why I Honor History

I’d guess that many who read this site or listen to me on podcasts/radio shows are growing tired of me lobbying for Chris Chenault to be inducted into the Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame. Sorry, I’m not going to stop. His 482 tackles in the late 1980s are more than enough to be eternally enshrined as one of the program’s greatest, right? That’s Top 10 in SEC history. It’s about time to put No. 45 in the rafters. 

I don’t make those types of proclamations simply because Chris is my friend and teammate. I politic for Chenault because it’s the right thing to do. Through my platform at KSR, I have the obligation and means to inform modern-day Kentucky fans about football stars of yesteryear. Once a Cat always a Cat, or so they say. 

I take a great deal of personal gratification in honoring others and seeing others prosper. That’s who I am. This especially applies to those that are well-deserving. Now that you know why I do what I do, I wanted to share some stories about an old teammate and pay tribute to the greatest football player and one of the best humans I know, Dermontti Dawson. 

Special Teammate, Special Man

Most athletes have that one teammate that’s special. The term “special” can be interpreted on many levels when describing a student-athlete. Some are labeled as “Freaks.” This connotation relates to a particular player’s physical attributes. “Freaks” can run faster, jump higher, and move more fluidly than their peers. There are also individuals that are so endearing to the entire roster, even freshmen, that he or she makes everyone around them feel special and loved. Rarely do those two worlds collide. But they do when describing Dermontti Dawson. 

First Impression 

I left the coal mining town of Cumberland, Kentucky on graduation day in 1987 to report to the University of Kentucky. On Monday I made my way to the team’s practice facility for my first workout. The Cats trained at the old Shively Center. The facility was shared with the track and baseball teams. It was at least a hundred years old, or so it seemed, back then. The place was cramped, muggy, and the hot water didn’t work in the showers if someone flushed the toilet. Think bad, then multiply. 

I got my official team gear from Tom K. and then walked into the antiquated weight room; I was immediately overwhelmed and astounded. The sights, sounds, smells, you name it. I was at UK. I was a player on the team that I grew up idolizing. 

The first person I saw in the weight room was Dermontti Dawson. Talk about a first impression of college football. There stood the most impressive and imposing man that I’d ever seen in my life.  In typical Dermontti fashion, he approached me with a smile and with his warm voice quickly and politely asked my name. He welcomed me to the program and even went as far as asking if he could help show me around campus. Wow. I was speechless. That was THE Dermontti Dawson. He then said, “Excuse me, I got to finish my workout.” I was in total fan mode but tried to act like I belonged and was cool; I was neither at the time. I was a goofy 18-year-old kid. (I’m 54 now if you’re trying to do the math.) 

On that dirty weight room floor sat a bar that totaled 340 pounds. I thought to myself that surely this must be max-day. Nope. Dawson picked it up like it was a broomstick and commenced to power clean 340 eight times. Eight. I was in awe and a little scared to be completely honest. 

My thoughts immediately went to, “Was everyone this strong in college football? Should I have stuck with baseball? What the heck did I get myself into? I want to go home.” All these impulsive life decisions were racing through my head. 

That interaction best describes my experience of playing college football with a future NFL Hall of Famer. I’m fairly certain that most, if not all, people in my shoes got the same overly nice treatment from the legend. Dermontti was so incredibly humble and even nice to a freshman. That was extremely rare by the way. Most upperclassmen were focused on the ritualistic singing of our high school fight songs on command and threats of shaving our heads. Not Dermontti Dawson. He was actually overprotective of the newcomers. He would even warn us when to hide after spotting Chris Chenault walking his intimidating Rottweiler — appropriately named “45” — in the dorm to scare the living daylights out of the freshmen. 

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Dermontti Dawson’s College Career — Played Guard

Dermontti Dawson earned four letters at the University of Kentucky. You have to remember, varsity letters were a big deal back then and not given out like Tic Tacs as they are today. Heck, I don’t even know if lettering is actually still a thing. A specific number of on-field plays had to be achieved in order to become an official letterman. DD mainly played guard, not center, at UK which is often a point of confusion when folks attempt to name the best center in UK history. My pinned tweet, “Played Guard,” is in tribute to that situation. 

Dermontti was named All-SEC as a senior before being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers. His athleticism and technique were off the charts in college. His character was even higher. Dawson’s NFL career was legendary and culminated in being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He made us all proud. But, we would have been proud of Dermontti if he never played a snap of football after UK. 

Teammates’ Stories About Dermontti Dawson

Fullback Andy Murray shared the huddle with Dawson for a couple of seasons. Jerry Claiborne was the head coach back then. Claiborne was a tough, old-school football coach that you’ve probably read about here or heard me talk about on occasion.  One of his coaching philosophies was to play starters on special teams. Nobody was exempt. Before you read Andy’s story, please understand that both Murray and Dawson were All-SEC level players mind you, and on the kickoff return team. Andy shared this memory from their time together. 

We (Murray and Dawson) were assigned to double team block the No. 2 (Blocking assignments were designated by counting opposing players. This refers to the second player in from the sideline) on the line on the kickoff return team. We usually kicked him out or made first contact to block him around the 15 to 20-yard line. That never ended well for the other guys. Dermontti hit one cat from Indiana so hard that he ended up in the gravel behind the UK cheerleaders. I laughed my *&@ off in the huddle ’bout that one.

Former UK OLB Jay Dortch and teammate of Dermontti’s shared this moment about scrimmaging 1s vs. 1s, or first-team offense vs. first-team defense in practice. Dortch often had to go head-to-head with Dawson on the practice field. This particular encounter didn’t end well for Jay. 

The cookie monster!! (One of Dawson’s nicknames)

He went around on Friday nights at the hotel before a game and asked everyone for their Wendy’s cookie. 

Dermontti was the most athletic and complete football player I ever saw. I never liked seeing the tight end block down in practice because that meant Double D was pulling in my direction. The first time I experienced that, it didn’t go well. The TE blocked down, I stepped across the line of scrimmage and looked inside to see him flying at me. I remember stepping into him and bam, he hit me so hard I did a sideways flip. My left ankle hit the ground first, he then he picked me up off the turf and smiled at me.

One of the nicest guys you could ever meet. He changed the center position in the NFL with the ability to pull ATHLETE! 

I mentioned Chris Chenault earlier. Not only is he one of the best football players in program history, he’s also a legendary funny-man, griller, and storyteller. His accounts of Dermontti went in a much different direction than expected. 

Me and Raynard (Gover) had been running around the hallway in the dorm acting silly yelling and stuff after a long night out. Pee Wee Reece was studying in his room and got mad that we were so loud. Reece pushed me against the wall, I hit my head on the concrete. Man, ’bout knocked me out, I saw stars. Dermontti comes out room being Dermontti and said, “Quit having so much fun out here and go to bed, people are studying and sleeping.” I tried to punch Reece after I got up. Next thing I knew Dermontti had me in a bear hug, and picked me up off the floor. I wasn’t going anywhere. Dermontti said in his calm voice, “I said enough is enough” and everyone went to bed, no questions asked.  

What Does All This Mean? 

My intent here was to educate the Big Blue Nation about Dermontti Dawson the teammate and person. He was the humblest and most caring man on our team, which consisted of 85 unpredictable personalities. Yes, he did incredible things on the field. That’s been documented throughout the years. But, Dawson did so with class and with a sense of humility that’s rarely seen in a player of his magnitude. We didn’t know he’d go on to become the best center in the history of the game. But, we did know that he’d be the best teammate in the history of the game. 

I didn’t interview Dermontti for this story on purpose. My intent was to paint an accurate picture of the man through his teammate’s eyes. Truth is, he’s an incredibly sweet man that played the game of football far, far better than any of us.  

I’ve seen Dermontti back in Lexington throughout the years. He still made me feel like the most important person in the room when I talked to him. Dermontti Dawson is a Kentucky treasure. I’m a better man for being his teammate. We all are. I’m honored to share a portion of his story with you. 

Go Cats!