NORFOLK, Va. – Alan Dawson and his wife, Mari, walked into the Broderick Dining Commons Friday morning mystified as to why they had been summoned to appear at an Old Dominion Board of Visitors meeting.
"All I know is that Wood Selig insisted I be here," said Dawson of Dr. Wood Selig, ODU's director of athletics. "He didn't tell me why."
The long-time ODU men's soccer coach remained mystified as to what was going on even after head football coach Ricky Rahne, head volleyball coach Fred Chao, and half a dozen other athletic officials walked in and took a seat.
Then Selig rose and introduced Dawson, noting that he retired this past fall after 27 seasons as the fifth winningest coach in Division I.
R. Bruce Bradley, rector of the Board of Visitors and former publisher and president of The Virginian-Pilot newspaper, then read a resolution adopted by the Board of Visitors to commemorate Dawson's long and successful career at ODU.
"Fifth in the nation," Bradley said before he began to read. "Pretty impressive."
It took nearly three minutes to read the entire resolution, which was in essence a summary of Dawson's professional and personal successes, including he and Mari's success in raising three children.
ODU President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D., then presented the resolution to Dawson.
Alan Dawson shakes hands with R. Bruce Bradley as ODU President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph,D., looks on.
Dawson stepped to the podium and said, "well, we've got the other football coach here," drawing laughs.
"Thank you so much," he added, his voice filling with emotion. "It means a lot to Mari. And we are a team. It's been a great ride and I've really enjoyed it.
"The fact of the matter is, I would have done this job for no salary at all. It was all about passion."
His eyes watered and he pointed toward Mari, for whom he has credited for his success. "It was passion for her," her said. "It was passion for the kids.
"It was absolutely lovely.
"Thank you for allowing me to be your coach."
When he stepped away, 100 or so people in the board room gave him a standing ovation, one that was 27 years in the making.
Mari and Alan Dawson at the podium at Friday's Board of Visitors meeting.
The Alan Dawson resolution:
WHEREAS, Alan Dawson, the son of Isabel and Stanley Dawson, was born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland and became a skilled soccer player who at an early age yearned to play soccer collegiately in America.
WHEREAS, Alan Dawson came to America in 1977 at age 17 and competed in four seasons of soccer at Lock Haven, where he played for two national championship teams and graduated with a Master of Science degree in political science.
WHEREAS, Alan Dawson then served three seasons as a graduate assistant at UNC Greensboro, helped lead the Spartans to the 1985 Division III national championship and graduated with a Master of Science degree in physical education.
WHEREAS, Alan Dawson was hired as head coach at Methodist University and over nine seasons finished 129-30-1, took the Monarchs to six consecutive NCAA Division III tournaments and to the 1995 national final, had three undefeated regular-season records, coached seven All-Americans and two Academic All-Americans and was named Dixie Conference Coach of the Year five times and the NCAA South Region Coach of the Year twice.
WHEREAS, Alan Dawson met Mari Jacobelly at Methodist University, whom he married and together they raised three very successful children – sons Alex and Garrick and daughter Ellesse.
WHEREAS, Alan Dawson spent a season as a part-time assistant coach at the University of North Carolina in 1996 in hopes of becoming a head coach in Division I.
WHEREAS, Alan Dawson was hired to coach the Old Dominion University men's soccer team in 1996, and over the next 27 years won 262 games, took the Monarchs to 12 NCAA tournaments and won six conference tournament or regular-season titles.
WHEREAS, 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 Super Draft selections at Old Dominion.
WHEREAS, Alan Dawson was named Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year four times, Coach of the Year in the Commonwealth of Virginia twice by the Virginia Association of Sports Information Directors and National Soccer Coaches Association South Atlantic Coach of the Year once.
WHEREAS, Alan Dawson won 391 career games, which is fourth nationally among active men's soccer coaches, in the top 25 among career victories among all coaches and first at Old Dominion University.
WHEREAS, Alan Dawson insisted upon high standards of discipline and conduct on and off the field, including a rigorous insistence on academic excellence.
WHEREAS, Alan Dawson touched and influenced the lives of hundreds of players he coached at Old Dominion University not only by teaching them the discipline of hard work and the sacrifice of being a good teammate, but also by insisting that they give back to the community and be kind to others.
WHEREAS, Alan Dawson coached many hundreds of young men during the offseason with the Olympic Development Program and other summer leagues.
WHEREAS, Alan Dawson was a gentleman on and off the field who treated players and coaches with respect and who led others by example with his outstanding sportsmanship
WHEREAS, Alan Dawson decided, at age 60, it was time to retire, and coached his final season at Old Dominion University in the fall of 2023.
WHEREAS, it is only proper that we recognize Alan Dawson's commitment to Old Dominion University, to the young men he coached and to the family he loves, to the children to whom he was an outstanding father, to the wife whom he says made all of his career success possible.
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED THAT THE OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY BOARD OF VISITORS, congratulates Alan Dawson on his recent retirement, thanks him for his nearly three decades of dedicated service to the University and wishes him and his entire family well in the next phase of his life.
Minium is ODU's Senior Executive Writer for Athletics. Contact him at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Minium: Retiring Men's Soccer Head Coach Alan Dawson Gets a Surprise at Board of Visitors Meeting
