University of North Carolina Athletics
How Carolina Shaped Steve Dawson's Identity
October 13, 2014 | Men's Soccer
CHAPEL HILL - On a warm, sticky Friday evening in the heart of North Carolina, Steve Dawson stands on the balcony of the McCaskill Soccer Center in anticipation of the upcoming match. His thick gray mustache tickles the corners of his face as they turn up into a smile. Proudly donning a Carolina blue soccer shirt, Dawson is happy to be home.
"For me, being part of this program is part of who I am," said Dawson.
The rich, prideful history of Carolina soccer brings Dawson back every year for UNC Men's Soccer Alumni Weekend, giving him the opportunity to reminisce on the differences between his time as a member of the 1971-1974 Carolina teams and now.
"It was a very different time," Dawson said. "We played 10 games per year. Maryland, in those days, was the team to beat. We played four forwards in those days, so the whole lineup and the whole arrangement has evolved so much since those days in the way soccer is played throughout the world."
A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Dawson had a choice between Duke, Clemson and the University of North Carolina, but Carolina's traditions stood out among the rest.
"I will say that in addition to academics, it was the soccer program and the talk I had with Dr. [Marvin] Allen that led me to UNC," Dawson said. "Thank God. This is the place I should be and wanted to be."
In 1974, Dawson was selected as one of two captains, an honor he has never forgotten but rarely brings up.
"Having been selected as captain of this team was actually one of my life highlights," Dawson said with a smile. "And it probably was the first time that I was in an important leadership position in my life. The leadership that was expected of me and that I tried to exhibit with the other players was very important for my own personal development. I don't usually volunteer that to other people, but in my own mind, and my wife knows, it was one of the proudest things that's ever happened to me."
And though the short shorts have dropped in length and new cleats have helped the speed of the game, Dawson holds onto one element as the cornerstone of his experience.
"We just had tremendous camaraderie."
And that camaraderie has lasted Dawson's entire life.
"One of my contemporaries was Anson Dorrance," Dawson said. "Dorrance and I play together in a national tournament on an over-60 men's team that's comprised of North Carolinians. We're a little slower, a little fatter, but we love to keep the game going. Like some other guys, I'm fortunate my knees have held up okay, so I still play on a club team. So I've literally played all my life. I never stopped after college, and because of what I learned here, I coached my son and children for about 12 years."
For Dawson, though he spent some time in Dallas [Texas], North Carolina always felt like home. Especially the University of North Carolina and its traditions.
"It is part of my legacy," Dawson said. "It's part of my identity, and I take tremendous, tremendous personal pride in having been part of the program those four years with all of the great memories."
By Laura Fellwock, UNC Athletic Communications Student Assistant
