Countdown to kickoff: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State only 87 days away
To preview one of the most anticipated games for Notre Dame this century and the official start of the Marcus Freeman era, BlueandGold.com is counting down the days to the matchup against Ohio State on Sept. 3.
This daily series of 99 stories celebrates by the numbers some of the most notable names, dates, moments and memories related to the past and present of Notre Dame football.
Today, we look at No. 87 and the rags to riches story of former Irish wide receiver Lake Dawson, who wore the jersey number at Notre Dame from 1990-93.
Simply put, Lake Dawson isn’t supposed to be where he is today, or where he was when he accepted a scholarship offer in 1989 to play football at Notre Dame.
The definition of an over-achiever, Dawson’s journey from a difficult childhood, to star Notre Dame wide receiver, to NFL executive didn’t follow any usual script.
To start, Dawson’s parents were teenagers from a rough part of Miami, facing a bleak chance for a bright future.
So feeling like Miami was a dead end, Dawson’s father moved from Miami to the Northwest — first to Alaska, then to Seattle — to find work and a fresh start for his family, which put a heavy burden on mother, Marlene, who was unable to immediately relocate.
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With airline tickets rarely a financial option, Marlene and the boys made the grinding 3,300-mile journey via Greyhound bus back and forth multiple times between Miami and Seattle for visits.
In a story for The Athletic, Dawson explained how difficult his childhood was.
“When I say I came from the bottom,” Dawson said, “teenage mom, start out on welfare, grandfather educated to like, sixth grade.”
Reunited, for good
After much unsettlement, Lewis Dawson Sr. — a former Marine — landed a good job as a corrections officer in Seattle and sent for Marlene and the boys. Lake was in fifth grade and his little brother, Lewis Jr., was in preschool.
Through faith and determination, the Dawsons bucked the odds and somehow made it.
Mom and dad found careers, got out of their two-bedroom apartment and bought a house. The two brothers — separated by six years — became football stars at Federal Way High School outside of Seattle, where both earned scholarships to play at Notre Dame.
Lake Dawson caught 80 passes for 1,397 yards and four touchdowns with the Irish, became a third-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1994 — where he played with Joe Montana — and enjoyed an eight-year NFL career.
And it was there that Dawson’s work ethic and charisma caught the attention of NFL executives.
So when an injury ended Dawson’s playing career in 2001, another door opened.
Dawson took a job as a low-level NFL scout. And through career stops with the Seahawks, Titans and Browns, Dawson worked his way up to the executive job he holds today as a top talent evaluator with the Buffalo Bills.
Dawson, 50, has interviewed for six general manager jobs during his time as an exec and even turned a GM offer down from the Dolphins in 2014.
“If it’s in my path,” Dawson said of waiting for his next GM chance, “then it’s going to happen.”
