Chris Dawson Position: Strength and Conditioning Experience: 7th Year Alma Mater: Oklahoma, 1995

Chris Dawson, a native of Houston, Texas, embarks on his seventh season as the head strength and conditioning coach for the Jayhawk football team. He coordinates all activities within the Strength and Conditioning Department while working directly with the football team.

Dawson, who worked the 2001 and 2002 football seasons as the head strength and conditioning coach for the University of Minnesota, was named to the position at KU in February of 2003.

Dawson was hired by Minnesota in February of 2001 after spending five years at Oklahoma, his alma mater. While with the Sooners, Dawson worked with the football and men's basketball teams. Before taking the position at Minnesota, he spent three months with the Las Vegas Outlaws of the XFL and two months with the Dallas Cowboys as a strength and conditioning intern.

Dawson played linebacker for the Sooners from 1992-94 and participated in a pair of postseason contests -- the 1993 John Hancock Bowl and the 1994 Copper Bowl. He received his bachelor's degree in business management in 1995 and his master's degree in business administration in 1999, both from OU.

Following the successful 2007 season, Dawson was awarded the National Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year Award by the Professional Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society.

Dawson credits his success in coaching to some great mentors at Oklahoma. He learned under Joe Juraszek, who was the strength coach at OU during his playing days and is the current head strength coach for the Dallas Cowboys. He also received valuable guidance from Blair Prince, Pete Martinelli, and Jerry Schmidt, the current strength coach at Oklahoma.

Several strength and conditioning coaches who have worked under Dawson -- including Steve Gortmaker (South Carolina), Orlando Smith (South Carolina), Drew Wilson (Connecticut), Jeremy Cole (Rutgers), and Dwayne Chandler (Denver Broncos) -- continue to work with both professional and college teams.

Dawson and his wife, Dawn, reside in Lawrence, Kan.