When speaking of cross country in Polk County, Buck Dawson’s name is closely associated with not only the sport but also some of the best runners Polk County has ever produced.  Dawson is not only one of the most decorated cross country coaches in Florida, but across the country. 

Dawson’s career started outside of the state as a high school track and field coach, which led to distinguished tenures at West Virginia State College and Morehead State University.  Winning several conference championships at those schools, he was later voted in as a member of both the West Virginia State College and Morehead State University Halls of Fame.  His career eventually led him to Polk County and Winter Haven High School in 1979.   

Some of Buck’s greatest successes came at Florida Southern College.  He started his tenure there in 1995, where he coached both the men’s and the women’s cross country teams.  Overall, he led the men’s team to eleven Sunshine State Conference championships (including ten in a row) and the women’s team to six conference championships.  One of his biggest highlights at FSC was leading the men’s team to a 13th place finish nationally.  Under his guidance, FSC made a combined total of 24 appearances in NCAA postseason meets.   

Dawson has been honored as the Sunshine State Conference Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year a combined sixteen times.  He was inducted into the Florida Southern College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.  Dawson retired from full-time coaching after the 2006-07 school year, but remained an active supporter of the cross country program and its athletes. At 83 years old, he passed away on December 29, 2020, at home with his loving wife Roberta by his side.