Football
Purdue Athletics and the Boilermaker Football Program Mourn the Passing of One of The All-Time Greats
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A pioneer of the Cradle of Quarterbacks, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and an expert in the broadcast booth, Len Dawson lived an extraordinary life. Dawson, a football legend, passed away Wednesday morning (Aug. 24) at the age of 87.
Dawson was Purdue’s starting quarterback for three seasons (1954-56), earning All-Big Ten accolades and leading the conference in passing and total offense all three years. He threw for 3,325 yards and 29 touchdowns over his Boilermaker career, both school records at the time.
Dawson was an immediate success with the Boilermakers, tossing four touchdowns in a 31-0 shutout over Missouri on Sept. 25, 1954. For an encore, Dawson’s precision passing led to a 27-14 upset over No. 1 Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium one week later. Dawson torched the Fighting Irish secondary for 213 passing yards and four touchdowns on just 12 passes. When the 1954 season came to a close, the First Team All-Big Ten quarterback led the nation in passing efficiency (145.8) and touchdown passes (15).
Along with his success on the field, Dawson was an academic standout. In 1956, he became Purdue Football’s first Academic All-American while also earning Academic All-Big Ten honors.
Selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the fifth overall pick in the 1957 NFL Draft, Dawson became one of the greatest passers in pro football history.
After five seasons between the Steelers and Cleveland Browns during that span, primarily as a backup quarterback, Dawson needed a fresh start to rejuvenate…
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