Houston Rockets • 2003-2004 Media Guide - NBA Media Central

Carroll Dawson
GENERAL MANAGER
Carroll Dawson enters his 24th season with the Rockets and his eighth as
the General Manager for the franchise. Prior to moving into the front
office, Dawson worked as an assistant coach under four Rockets head
coaches, aiding Del Harris from 1980-83, Bill Fitch from 1983-88, Don
Chaney from 1988-92 and Rudy Tomjanovich from 1992-96.
Affectionately known as “CD,” Dawson oversees all player personnel
activity for the Rockets. His duties include managing the entire scouting
department, which includes an analysis of athletes at both the amateur
and professional level. Dawson deals with free agency issues, trade
inquiries and the assessment of the team’s needs.
Dawson is recognized as one of the top executives in the NBA. Since moving to the Rockets front office
job in 1996, he has shown the ability to both bolster a playoff contender with veterans and acquire
emerging talent as part of a youth movement. In his first few years, he made trades for Charles Barkley
and Scottie Pippen to give a team led by Hakeem Olajuwon even more experience. Dawson then
used the mid-level exception to bring in players such as Shandon Anderson and Maurice Taylor. Since
1998, Dawson and the Rockets have acquired several young talents, including Cuttino Mobley, Steve
Francis, Eddie Griffin and Yao Ming.
Dawson holds the distinction of being the only person on all four coaching staffs that led the Rockets
to their NBA Finals appearances, as Houston advanced to the championship series in 1981, 1986,
1994 and 1995. Dawson works closely with Head Coach Jeff Van Gundy in his current front office
capacity.
Dawson is known throughout the NBA for his work with frontcourt players and has also been credited
with teaching Olajuwon his infamous jump hook. Dawson has worked with and coached many NBA
All-Stars throughout his years with the Rockets, including Barkley, Elvin Hayes, Moses Malone, Ralph
Sampson and Tomjanovich.
Dawson’s knowledge of the game has not been limited to the NBA. Prior to the inaugural 1997 WNBA
season, Dawson was commissioned by owner Leslie Alexander to help assemble the first Houston
Comets team. He guided the efforts to bring Sheryl Swoopes and Cynthia Cooper to Houston and then
drafted Janeth Arcain in the WNBA Elite Draft. Finally, he worked with Alexander to hire three-time
WNBA Coach of the Year Van Chancellor. Currently, Dawson is Chancellor’s top advisor as the Comets
Executive Vice President of Basketball.
A native Texan, Dawson hails from Alba, a town with a population of 200 that sits about 75 miles east
of Dallas. As a 6-foot-5 high school center, he led Alba High School to a 44-3 record as a senior. He
then went on to win Junior College All-America honors at Paris Junior College (Texas) under Head
Coach Boyd Converse. After two seasons at Paris, Dawson moved on to Baylor University, where he
led Bill Henderson’s Baylor Bears in scoring and rebounding in each of his two seasons. In 1960, he
averaged 16.4 points as a senior to earn All-Southwest Conference honors.
In 1963, he returned to Baylor as an assistant to Head Coach Bill Menefee. He later succeeded Menefee
as head coach in 1973, remaining in that position for more than three seasons. After spending two
years as a scout for the Dallas Cowboys at the call of executive Gil Brandt, Dawson started a career
as a salesman for Converse Shoe Company.
Dawson has been honored with induction into the Paris Junior College Hall of Fame in 1991, the Baylor
University Hall of Fame in 1998, the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2001,
and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame this year.
One of the top golfers in the NBA, Dawson resides in Houston with his wife, Sharon. Sharon has a
daughter, Elizabeth and a son, Michael.
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MANAGEMENT