Kicker Dawson, 44, retires with Browns after 20-year career
Fan favorite says Cleveland has been ‘so good’ to him, family.
Kicker Phil DawBEREA, OHIO — son has retired from the NFL at age 44 after 20 seasons.
He spent his first 14 seasons with the Browns and will sign a one-day contract to ceremonially retire with the franchise. Dawson played in 305 games — the seventh most in league history — and ranks 11th with 1,847 points.
He says the “opportunity to come back home and retire with the organization and the city that I love is incredibly meaningful.” He adds that it “seems right” to do this with the “fans that have been so good to me and my family.”
A Pro Bowl selection in 2012, Dawson began his career with Cleveland’s expansion team in 1999. He joined the 49ers as a free agent in 2013 and played with the Cardinals the last two seasons.
Dawson scored 1,271 points with the Browns, trailing only Hall of Famer Lou Groza in team history. His 441 field goals are eighth on the NFL career list.
He holds team records for highest career field goal percentage (84.0), most field goals in a season (30 in 2008), highest field goal percentage in a season (93.5 in 2012), field goals in a game (six on Nov. 5, 2006),
A perennial team captain, Dawson also made a major impact in the Cleveland community. He teamed up with the Adoption Network to invite families who recently adopted children to each home game from 2008-12, so they could form new memories as a family. He was voted the 2012 Browns Player of the Year by the local PFWA chapter, the 2007 Dino Lucarelli “Good Guy” Award honoree by the PFWA, the 2006 Ed Block Courage Award winner by his teammates and the 2006 winner of the Doug Dieken Humanitarian Award for his charitable and community efforts.