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8 PreP rally: Class 7A Thursday, augusT 31, 2017 to everyone, even those who weren't involved with the football program. "You just love being around that guy." Dawson didn't begin his head coaching career as a master of all things about football and life. In 1992, Smackover interviewed six candidates for its opening. The other five turned the job down, Dawson said. "So they hired a 24-year-old who didn't know a foot- ball from a pear," Dawson said. "Talk about learning the hard way." Smackover went 6-14 during two seasons and was Dawson's only non-winning stint as a head coach. He didn't lose that many games as a head coach over his next six seasons combined. That included two con- ference titles at Parkview Baptist in Baton Rouge, La., a conference championship at Lonoke and guiding Sheridan to the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. He's widely regarded as a program-builder, but tak- ing over a Fayetteville program coming off back-to-back state championships offers another challenge. "From the standpoint of where the program is, it is different," Dawson said. "There's some things we're going to put our fingerprint on, but the program was in really good shape when we got here." One of those things is player development and not just on physical skills. Building character is important to Dawson. Although he never mixed football with his sermons, a favorite saying to players and churchgoers was the same: "Let your video match your audio." "His audio matches his video. He doesn't just blow smoke," Taylor said. "I love the guy. He has the ability to make you want to work for him. To make you want to please him. We saw that here every day, and he was always so prepared with PowerPoints with his sermons. There was very little work for the rest of us. "I have no idea how he found the time to do it all and also be a head coach. I don't know when he sleeps." Dawson said he sleeps four or five hours a night during the season but adds that he and his wife get plenty of rest because they've been doing it that way for so long. It's just part of their lives. His current players have witnessed Dawson's prepa- ration firsthand and say workouts are well regimented. "It's a little bit of a new system, but we're all getting used to it," said junior quarterback Darius Bowers. "I think practices are much faster. They're really fast- paced. We're always moving and always doing some- thing. There's not much standing around. "I love coach Dawson. He's very intelligent and al- ready helped me improve so much as a player, and as a person." Mike Capshaw can be reached at mcapshaw@nwadg.com or on Twitter @NWACappy. Dawson v Continued from Page 7 The Dawson File Fayetteville's Billy dawson is 175-54 as a head coach School ............................................... Year(s)................ Record russellville ......................................... 2015-16 ..................... 17-8 Nashville ............................................. 2012-14 .................... 26-9 Nashville .............................................2005-09 .................... 65-4 siloam springs ..................................... 2004......................... 8-3 Monroe (La.) Neville ..............................2001 ........................10-3 sheridan ........................................... 1999-2000 .................. 13-7 Lonoke ...................................................1998 .......................... 7-4 Baton rouge (La.) Parkview .............. 1996-97 .................... 23-2 smackover.......................................... 1992-93 .................... 6-14 *Dawson also served as an assistant coach at Hampton (1991), offensive cooridnator at Baton Rouge Parkview (1994- 95) and offensive coridnator at Arkansas Tech (2002-03). Between head coaching stints at Nashville, he was pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church (2010-11) in Nashville. NWa democrat-gazette/daVId gOTTsChaLK Fayetteville football coach Billy Dawson talks with a player aug. 2 during practice at harmon stadium. 1003 McClain Rd. • Bentonville, AR 479-271-4141 rivergrillesteakhouse.com Proudly supporting Bentonville Athletics!