BOONE, N.C. – App State head coach
Shawn Clark has added a veteran assistant coach with title-winning accomplishments as a college coordinator and position coach as well as NFL playing experience by hiring Lawrence Dawsey.
Dawsey, a two-time All-America wide receiver at Florida State and an NFL Rookie of the Year, will coach App State's receivers.
"We are excited to welcome Lawrence to our program and the App Family," Clark said. "His experience coaching receivers at a high level and serving as a mentor of young men will be a great asset to our program."
Dawsey has learned from some of the biggest names in college football, including Bobby Bowden, Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher. He was FSU's receivers coach and passing game coordinator when the Seminoles, led by Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston (QB) and first-round NFL draft pick Kelvin Benjamin (WR), won the national championship in 2013.
After coaching receivers at Florida State for 11 seasons from 2007-17 — he served as the Seminoles' co-offensive coordinator his final five seasons there — Dawsey worked with the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship in 2018 and 2019 and has spent the last two seasons as an offensive analyst at Texas A&M.
"I am excited to have the opportunity to be back on the field coaching wide receivers at Appalachian State University," Dawsey said. "I am looking forward to being a member of a great coaching staff and working with a talented group of student-athletes. My goal is to aid in the development of these young men to help them reach their full potential both on and off the field."
The Aggies went 8-4 in the 2021 regular season and 9-1 with a 41-27 victory in the Orange Bowl during the 2020 season. They scored at least 40 points in eight different games during Dawsey's two seasons on staff.
Dawsey also worked with a first-round draft pick at receiver (Michael Clayton) and won a national title as a graduate assistant on Saban's LSU staff that included Fisher in 2003, then spent the next three seasons as a full-time assistant at USF before returning to his alma mater.
In his last 15 seasons on a college staff, Dawsey has been with teams that have qualified for a bowl every year and gone 10-4 in bowl games — Texas A&M didn't play its bowl game in 2021. He also has experience as a high school coach (1998, 2002) and as a training camp assistant with the NFL's St. Louis Rams (2001).
Dawsey is regarded in college coaching circles as one of the nation's best recruiters, having been named a Top 25 national recruiter and Top 10 ACC recruiter by Rivals in 2011, 2012 and 2015. He was tabbed the 2011 ACC Recruiter of the Year by SI.com and has also been recognized as one of the nation's best by 247Sports and ESPN.com. He helped FSU attract a top-five recruiting class in six of seven years from 2011-17.
Dawsey's four seasons as an FSU wide receiver from 1987-90 corresponded with the first four 10-win, top-five poll finishes by the program, as he completed his college career with 2,129 career receiving yards, 20 career touchdown catches and nine 100-yard receiving games. Some of his career highlights included a 999-yard season with 65 receptions in 1990, a 93-yard touchdown catch against Southern Miss, a 13-catch game against Miami and a 172-yard game against Florida.
A third-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dawsey totaled 240 catches for 3,271 yards and six touchdowns in seven NFL seasons, with 55 catches for 818 yards and three touchdowns during his Rookie of the Year campaign with Tampa Bay in 1991. He also played for the New York Giants (1996), Miami Dolphins (1997) and New Orleans Saints (1999).
A native of Dothan, Ala., Dawsey graduated from Florida State with a bachelor of arts in social science and economics.
Dawsey's stepdaughter, Dominique Arce, is a physician. He and his wife, Chantal – who is a registered nurse – have a son, Lawrence Jr., who is in law school at Boston College.
DAWSEY AT A GLANCE
Coaching Experience
1998: Tampa Catholic High (Assistant Coach)
2002: Blake High (Assistant Coach)
2003: LSU (Graduate Assistant)
2004-06: USF (Wide Receivers)
2007-09: Florida State (Wide Receivers)
2010-12: Florida State (Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers)
2013-17: Florida State (Co-Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers)
2020-21: Texas A&M (Offensive Analyst)
Playing Experience
1987-90: Florida State (Wide Receiver)
1991-95: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Wide Receiver)
1996: New York Giants (Wide Receiver)
1997: Miami Dolphins (Wide Receiver)
1999: New Orleans Saints (Wide Receiver)
Alma Mater: Florida State, 1991
Hometown: Dothan, Ala.
Birthdate: November 16, 1967
Wife: Chantal
Son: Lawrence Jr.
Stepdaughter: Dominique Arce
Twitter: @lawrencedawsey
Bowl Games Coached
2003: BCS National Championship (LSU won)
2005: Meineke Car Care Bowl (USF lost)
2006: PapaJohns.com Bowl (USF won)
2007: Music City Bowl (FSU lost)
2008: Champs Sports Bowl (FSU won)
2009: Gator Bowl (FSU won)
2010: Chick-fil-A Bowl (FSU won)
2011: Champs Sports Bowl (FSU won)
2012: Orange Bowl (FSU won)
2013: BCS National Championship (FSU won)
2014: Rose Bowl (FSU lost)
2015: Peach Bowl (FSU lost)
2016: Orange Bowl (FSU won)
2017: Independence Bowl (FSU won)
2020: Orange Bowl (Texas A&M won)
2021: Gator Bowl (Texas A&M DNP)
