Byron Dawson, Head Coach

Bio

In 2022, Dawson was hired to relaunch the Centenary College football program after a 75-year hiatus. As Head Coach, he built the program from the ground up, hiring staff, recruiting student-athletes, and establishing a culture of honor, discipline, and service. In just its first season back, Dawson led Centenary to an incredible 9–1 record in 2023, earning national attention from ESPN, LPB, and Front Office Sports, as well as formal recognition from the Caddo Parish Commission. In 2023, Dawson helped lead Centenary through a successful reintroduction to college football with a strong foundation. The Gents outscored their nine opponents, 375 to 113, and recorded three shutouts as they opened the season with seven straight wins. 

The Gents finished their 2025 season at 1-8 overall and 1-4 in conference play. Centenary's season ended with a 16-14 loss to Austin College in the opening game of the inaugural SCAC Football Championship on Nov. 15 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Ark.

Centenary averaged 350.8 yards per game of total offense for the season – 229.6 passing and 121.2 rushing and 16.9 PPG. The Gents' passing offense ranked third in the conference and defensively, the Maroon and White ranked second in the league in interceptions with 11 and added 50 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, and four forced fumbles.

Twelve Gents were named to the 2025 All-SCAC Team following the season as senior RB Obadiah Butler (Crowley, La.) was named First-Team All-SCAC and the other 11 Gents earned Honorable-Mention honors. Those 11 were freshman WR Theo Dunn (Gonzales, La.), senior DL Rhema Getter (Shreveport, La.), junior OL Alexander Hamilton (St. Rose, La.), sophomore WR Christopher Jackson (Shreveport, La.), junior DL D'Qavion Lemons (Shreveport, La.), sophomore DB Dwayne Mills Jr. (Slidell, La.), freshman DB TJ Ranson (New Orleans, La.), junior OL Jaylon Simmons (Lecompte, La.), junior LB Devon Strickland (Shreveport, La.), junior DB Bryan Washington (Wylie, Texas), and sophomore LB Collin Watkins (West Monroe, La.).

Butler had a sensational season as he ranked third nationally in all-purpose yards, averaging 187.78/game and earned First-Team All-SCAC honors at running back as he finished his superb season with 687 rushing yards, 255 receiving yards, and 748 kick return yards.

Butler, who amassed 1,690 all-purpose yards, ranked in the top 100 nationally in rushing yards per game and kickoff returns. He recorded the conference's top two rushing performances of the season, finishing with 234 yards at Lyon on Oct. 18 which was preceded by 159 yards the week before at home against Texas Lutheran University. He was appropriately named to the D3football.com Team of the Week and selected as the SCAC Offensive Player of the Week following his monster performance in the Gents' overtime win at Lyon Butler also had the conference's two longest runs of the season – a 95-yard run against TLU and an 80-yard scamper against Lyon. Butler amassed 274 all-purpose yards against the Bulldogs and 269 yards against the Scots – the top two totals in the conference this season. He rushed for 85+ yards four times and 130 or more three times.

He put the finishing touches on his stellar season in the SCAC Championship as he rushed 17 times for a game-high 138 yards and two TD against Austin College. Butler caught two passes for 16 yards and returned three kicks for 72 yards as he finished with 226 total yards.

As the Gents’ Defensive Coordinator in 2024, Dawson’s unit was one of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) leaders in both sacks (18) and interceptions (14). His defense consistently set the tone, highlighted by a dominant performance in the program’s first NCAA win in over 75 years, a 36–17 road victory at Austin College. The defensive line recorded six tackles for loss, four sacks, and forced four fumbles in that game alone. Under his leadership, several players earned conference and national recognition, including defensive lineman D’Qavion Lemons, who was named SCAC Defensive Player of the Week and selected to the D3football.com National Team of the Week after a standout performance. Linebacker Vance Feuerbacher ranked third in the SCAC in tackles, and the Gents’ secondary featured two of the league’s top three leaders in interceptions.

Coach Byron Dawson is one of the most respected and recognizable names in Louisiana football, a champion on the field and a transformational leader off it. A Shreveport native, Dawson rose to prominence at Evangel Christian Academy, where he was a dominant two-sport athlete. He earned USA Today High School All-American Defensive MVP honors, was named Class 3A All-State Defensive MVP, and helped lead Evangel to a 15–0 season, three state championships, and a No. 17 national ranking. In 1997 and 1998, he captured back-to-back state titles in the shot put, showcasing his elite athleticism.

At Louisiana State University, Dawson was a four-year letterman on the defensive line, recording 86 tackles and four sacks while playing under elite coaches Nick Saban, Pete Jenkins, Will Muschamp, Karl Dunbar, and Bo Davis. He was part of LSU’s nationally ranked defense during the memorable 2001 season, helping the Tigers defeat Tennessee for the SEC Championship and cap the year with a Sugar Bowl win over Illinois.

Dawson began his coaching career at Redemptorist High School in Baton Rouge in 2004, before returning home to his alma mater, Evangel Christian Academy, where he served in various leadership, roles for the next 15 years. As both Defensive Coordinator and Head Coach, he helped build one of the most dominant high school football programs in the region. During his time at Evangel, the Eagles advanced to the Louisiana State Championship seven times (2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2016). He was named All-District Coach of the Year seven times (2013 to 2019), All-City Coach of the Year in 2015, 2016 All USA Today Louisiana Coach of the Year and received AIM National Coach of the Year honors in 2017. That same year, he was named NFHS Louisiana Coach of the Year, and Evangel was recognized as the McDonald’s Shreveport Times Sports Team of the Year. 

Known for his innovative defensive strategies, Dawson developed the signature “Dawson Tilt Technique” and led top-ranked defenses in Louisiana in 2010, 2016, and 2017. During his tenure as Evangel head coach, the program ranked sixth nationally in developing NFL players, according to MaxPreps.

His coaching legacy includes the development of four U.S. Army All-Americans, Jermauria Rasco, Jerry Tillery, Micah Baskerville, and Davin Cotton, as well as NFL first-round pick Jerry Tillery (Los Angeles Chargers), Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year Ar’Darius Washington, and 2021 Big 12 Championship MVP quarterback Blake Shapen. In total, Dawson has coached and mentored 14 NFL players and dozens of Division I athletes.

In 2020, Dawson joined Tulane University as Defensive Line Coach, contributing to one of the nation’s most disruptive defensive fronts. Under his leadership, Tulane’s defensive line combined for 222 tackles, 45.5 tackles for loss, and 24.5 sacks. The Green Wave averaged 8.4 tackles for loss per game, leading the American Athletic Conference and ranking sixth nationally. Their 3.1 sacks per game also led the AAC and ranked 13th overall. In 2021, Tulane’s defense ranked second in the AAC in sacks per game (2.8) and sixth in rushing yards allowed. Dawson also recruited seven highly touted defensive linemen and mentored two All-Americans and NFL draft picks, Cam Sample and Patrick Johnson. Cam was voted Most Valuable Defensive Lineman in college football by Pro Football Focus and he was the Defensive MVP of the senior bowl. Patrick Johnson set a Tulane career record in sacks with 24.5 and led the nation in sacks his senior year at Tulane with 10.5. For his impact on recruitment and player development, he was named a finalist for FootballScoop’s Defensive Line Coach of the Year, distinguishing himself as one of the top defensive line coaches in the sport. In 2021, he served as a defensive line intern for the NFL's Bill Walsh Coaching Fellowship with the Los Angeles Rams. 

Off the field, Dawson is deeply committed to community service. For over 20 years, he has served underserved youth and families in the Shreveport-Bossier area through partnerships with Volunteers of America, The ARC of Caddo-Bossier, Shriners Hospitals, The Lighthouse, and others. He also leads his Centenary football team in regular outreach, including mentorship programs, food and clothing drives, school visits, and holiday initiatives.

A passionate speaker and motivator, Dawson is the founder of CoachByronDawson.com, providing leadership coaching, keynote speaking, and consulting for teams, businesses, and universities nationwide. He also presented at coaching clinics and leadership events hosted by Notre Dame, LSU, the University of Tennessee, Kansas State, Louisiana Tech, Rotary Club International and more. 

In recognition of his wide-reaching influence as a coach, mentor, and business leader, Dawson was named the 2025 Top Business Professional of the Year by the Greater Shreveport Chamber.

Coach Dawson is married to Tinisha Dawson, and together they are proud parents of their daughter, Leah, and son, Jayden.

EDUCATION
Bachelor’s - LSU, 2003

PLAYING EXPERIENCE
LSU, Defensive Line (Football), 1998-02

COACHING EXPERIENCE
2003-04, Redemptorist High School (DL)

2005-19, Evangel Christian Academy (HC/DC/DL)

2020-21, Tulane University (DL)

2022-Present, Centenary College (HC/DC/DL)

POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE

2020 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl                    Tulane University

2016 Louisiana 5A D-1 State Champions       Evangel Christian Academy (Max Preps #48 in America)

2012 Louisiana 2A State Runner-Up               Evangel Christian Academy

2010 Louisiana 2A State Champions               Evangel Christian Academy

2009 Louisiana 2A State Champions              Evangel Christian Academy

2008 Louisiana 2A State Runner-Up               Evangel Christian Academy

2006 Louisiana 1A State Champions               Evangel Christian Academy

2005 Louisiana 1A State Champions               Evangel Christian Academy

2003 Cotton Bowl                                                LSU

2002 Sugar Bowl Champions                          LSU

2001 SEC Champions                                         LSU   

2000  Peach Bowl Champions                        LSU