THE GAME '06: Setting the Standard

He already holds every Harvard rushing record. He already broke the all-time Ivy League rushing record. He already has an Ancient Eight championship in an undefeated season.

Now senior tailback Clifton Dawson has one thing left to accomplish: help beat Yale for an unprecedented sixth consecutive time.

The squad has never lost to the Bulldogs when propelled by his legs, and the back isn’t looking to change the trend.

The sting remains for Dawson after last weekend’s 22-13 loss at Penn, as all season the senior’s goal has been a second championship addition to his career. The defeat means that Harvard will likely fall short of a league title, barring a huge upset of Princeton by last-place Dartmouth.

Perennial rival Yale, meanwhile, is a victory over Harvard away from earning the Bulldogs’ first share of the Ivy title since 1999. So ending Yale’s title dreams, while ending his career with a victory, has become the senior’s goal.

If the Crimson can’t have it, neither can the Bulldogs.

“I think last week’s lost to Penn is a little bit of an added motivation for the team, especially for the seniors,” Dawson says. “We’d like to go out on a winning note.”

But winning is not the only thing that will be on the senior’s mind.

After a four-year career with as many winning seasons, he is acutely aware that he has just one game left in a Harvard uniform.

“I’m trying not to think about this being my last game, just because what of Harvard football has meant in my collegiate life and in my life in general,” he says. “During the season you try to take one game at a time, and then you’re left with one game left, and it’s just, ‘wow, that’s it.’”

Throughout his career there have been great accomplishments in the form of an undefeated season and shattered records, and disappointments in losing two years in a row to Princeton. But he hopes people will see him as a complete and reliable back who gave 100 percent, whether it was rushing for 100-plus yards, blocking, or catching passes out of the backfield.

Harvard head coach Tim Murphy sees that and more in his senior.

As both a solid back and go-to guy in the offense, Dawson has provided leadership both on and off the field.

“He’s one of the most passionate, intense, tough kids I’ve ever been around,” Murphy said. “That intensity rubs off on people. He makes the guys around him better because of how hard he plays. He’s fearless.”

The loss will be felt not only by Crimson players, coaches, and fans, but also by the Ivy League community.

For four years, Dawson has pushed his body to the limit, never missing serious time due to injury.

“He’s been a wonderful ambassador for the Ivy League,” said Penn coach Al Bagnoli after last Saturday’s matchup. “He’s a kid that you’ve got to respect his toughness, and you’ve got to respect his ability and his overall talent.”

The type of final performance Dawson will put on is yet to be seen, but unquestionably his legacy will carry with it the title of ‘best back in Harvard history.’

–Staff writer Madeleine I. Shapiro can be reached at mshapiro@fas.harvard.edu.