Pete Dawkins | |
|---|---|
 Dawkinsc. 1983 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1938-03-08)March 8, 1938 (age 87) Royal Oak, Michigan, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
| Education | Cranbrook School United States Military Academy(BSc) Brasenose College, Oxford(BA) Princeton University(MPA,PhD) |
| Website | Official website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1962–1983 |
| Rank |  Brigadier General |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
| Awards | Bronze Star (2) |
| Football career | |
 Dawkinsc. 1959 | |
| No. 24 | |
| Position | Halfback |
| Personal information | |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Cranbrook (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan) |
| College | Army (1956–1958) |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
Peter Miller Dawkins (born March 8, 1938) is an American business executive and formercollege football player, hockey player, military officer, and political candidate. Dawkins attended theUnited States Military Academy, where he played as ahalfback for theArmy Cadets football team from 1956 to 1958. As a senior in 1958 he won theHeisman Trophy, theMaxwell Award, and was named as aconsensus All-American. After graduating from the Military Academy in 1959, he studied at theUniversity of Oxford as aRhodes Scholar. Dawkins served as an officer in theUnited States Army until he retired in 1983 with the rank ofbrigadier general. He received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, GeneralBernard W. Rogers, USA in 1983.[1][2] He was aRepublican candidate forUnited States Senate in 1988. Dawkins has held executive positions withLehman Brothers,Bain & Company,Primerica, andCitigroup.
He is the only person in history to have held the titles of Brigade Commander, Football Team Captain, Class President, Star Man (top 5% of the class), Heisman Trophy winner, and Rhodes Scholar. He is often regarded as the most decorated cadet in the history of theUnited States Military Academy.[3]
FollowingJohnny Lujack's death on July 25, 2023, Dawkins is the oldest surviving winner of the Heisman Trophy. He is the lone survivor among the first 27 recipients (1935–1961).
At age 11, Dawkins was successfully treated forpolio[4] with aggressivephysical therapy. After earning a scholarship, Dawkins enteredCranbrook School inBloomfield Hills, Michigan. There he was an all-leaguequarterback, and captain of thebaseball team. He graduated from Cranbrook in 1955.
Accepted byYale University, Dawkins chose instead to attend theUnited States Military Academy atWest Point. He earned high honors, serving as First Captain, president of his class, captain of the football team, and a "Star Man" in the top five percent of his class academically. A cadet is considered outstanding if he attains one of these positions. Dawkins was the only cadet in history to hold all four at once. He was featured inLife Magazine andReader's Digest. Even before his graduation, many predicted he would make general and perhaps even beArmy Chief of Staff. Dawkins began his playing career at West Point under head football coachEarl Blaik as a fourth-string quarterback before being cut from the position.[5] Later playing as ahalfback during his junior and senior season, Dawkins saw great success and eventually won theHeisman Trophy and theMaxwell Award and was aconsensus All-America selection in 1958. Dawkins was also an assistant captain for thehockey team. AtOxford, he won threeBlues inrugby union and is credited with popularizing the overarm throw (originally called the "Yankee torpedo pass") into the lineout.[6]
Dawkins graduated with a BSc from the Military Academy in 1959 with a very high class standing, and was awarded aRhodes Scholarship.[7] He earned a BA atBrasenose College, Oxford in 1962[7] inPhilosophy, Politics, and Economics (promoted to an MA in 1968,per tradition) and later earned aMaster of Public Affairs in 1970 and aPhD in 1977 from theWoodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs atPrinceton University with the dissertationThe United States Army and the "Other" War in Vietnam: A Study of the Complexity of Implementing Organizational Change.[8]
After being commissioned from the academy and completing his tenure as aRhodes Scholar, Dawkins finishedInfantry School andRanger School before being posted for duty in the82nd Airborne Division. He received twoBronze Stars for Valor for his service inVietnam and held commands in the7th Infantry Division and101st Airborne. From 1971 to 1972, Dawkins, while alieutenant colonel, was the commander of the 1st Battalion23rd Infantry,2nd Infantry Division,Camp Hovey, Korea. In addition to being an instructor at the academy, he was aWhite House Fellow in the 1973–74 class. During that time, he was chosen to work on a task force, charged with changing the U.S. Army into an all-volunteer force. During the mid-1970s Colonel Dawkins was brigade commander of the 3rd ( "Golden Brigade") of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina that included the 1st and 2nd 505th and 1/508th battalions. In the late 1970s he was 3rd Brigade Commander (War Eagle Brigade, which included the 1/503, 2/503, and 3/187 Infantry Battalions) of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) atFort Campbell with the rank ofcolonel. After serving as the Brigade Commander he became the Chief of Staff for the 101st Airborne Division and was subsequently promoted tobrigadier general. In 1966 Dawkins appeared in uniform on the cover ofLife Magazine[9] and participated in a segment of the U.S. Army"Big Picture" film series, "A Nation Builds Under Fire."[10] This was a short documentary reviewing United States progress in South Vietnam, narrated by actorJohn Wayne.
At the conclusion of his 24-year career in the Army, Dawkins retired with the rank of brigadier general in 1983. Following his retirement from the Army, Dawkins took up a position as a partner in theWall Street firmLehman Brothers,[11] later becoming vice-chairman ofBain & Company. In 1991, he moved on to become chairman andCEO ofPrimerica. Dawkins was a senior partner at Flintlock Capital Asset Management and is currently a senior advisor forVirtu Financial.
Sometime before April 1987, Dawkins established residence inRumson, New Jersey. He ran for the U.S. Senate as a Republican against New Jersey's incumbent DemocraticU.S. Senator,Frank Lautenberg, in 1988.[12] The race was notable for the negative tone that emerged from both sides and for Lautenberg's criticism of Dawkins's lack of roots in the state.[13] Dawkins lostin the general election by an eight-point margin.
| External image | |
|---|---|
 Pete Dawkins on the cover ofLife Magazine published on April 8, 1966. Displayed atCover Browser. |
| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromNew Jersey (Class 1) 1988 | Succeeded by |
