Southern Arkansas University Athletics

Much like his older brother, Billy, Charlie Dawson enjoyed a very successful career as a Mulerider Baseball player. A two-time All-AIC and NAIA All-District 17 honoree as a catcher, Dawson’s collegiate career culminated in him being named an NAIA All-Southwest Region and NAIA All-America selection in 1994.
 
Prior to his graduation from SAU in 1996, Dawson was a part of back-to-back AIC and NAIA District 17 Championship teams as the team’s starting catcher. During that time the Muleriders posted a combined 81-30 record overall with a 44-6 mark in AIC play under legendary head coach and SAU Sports Hall of Famer Steve Goodheart (C/O 2008).
 
In his two seasons for the Muleriders, Dawson played in 102 games with 101 starts. In 338 at-bats, he delivered 139 hits which included 26 doubles, one triple, and 11 home runs. He totaled 106 RBI, scored 39 runs and finished with a career slugging percentage of .592 and an on-base percentage of .480.
 
Dawson’s career average of .411 (139-for-338) ranks as the fifth-highest mark in program history and is the second-best career average for a Mulerider hitter over the past 26 years. Additionally, his career fielding percentage of .992 (388/391) is the sixth-highest all-time and third among catchers.
 
Following the 1994 season, Dawson signed a pro contract with Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves. His first professional season came with Atlanta’s rookie club, the Idaho Falls Braves of the Pioneer League. In 36 games, he hit .301 (40-for-133) with seven doubles, two triples, and five homeruns and finished with an OPS of .873. For his efforts, Dawson was tabbed as the team’s MVP and was named a Pioneer League All-Star.
 
The next year, Dawson joined Atlanta’s Single-A affiliate, the Macon Braves, of the South Atlantic League. While in Georgia, Dawson caught in 110 games and was named the club’s most popular player as voted on by the fans. During a 38-game stretch of the season, he recorded 30 hits, 19 runs and 13 RBI.
 
In 1996, Dawson spent spring training with the Braves and Expos, before signing with the Sioux City Explorers of the independent Northern League where he played in 18 games before retiring from professional baseball.
 
In 2000, Dawson returned to his alma mater and served as an assistant under Goodheart during the 2001 and 2002 seasons in which the Muleriders combined to win 81 games.
 
Currently, Dawson is the founder, CEO and Chairman of the Advisory Board for GeoSurfaces, a company which specializes in the design, development, construction and installation of high performing sports surfaces. To date, GeoSurfaces has designed, coordinated, managed and/or installed more than 50,000,000 square feet of artificial turf and more than 12,000 sports lighting fixtures.