The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., has produced many distinguished graduates, including two presidents, several famous generals and countless war heroes.

Perhaps lost among its better-known alums are Army's three Heisman Trophy winners.

All played on the gridiron more than a half-century ago, when Army was a national football power. The Heisman Watch series offers an opportunity to look back and celebrate their accomplishments ...

Pete Dawkins

A halfback who had suffered from polio as a child, Pete Dawkins won the Heisman in 1958 during one of West Point's most astounding academic and athletic careers.

AP Photo  

In his Heisman season, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Dawkins rushed for 428 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. During his three seasons at Army, he rushed for 1,123 yards, caught 27 passes for 716 yards, threw seven touchdown passes and scored 158 points.

Academically, Dawkins also was a superstar, winning a Rhodes Scholarship and going on to study philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford. Before that, he was Brigade Commander, president of his class, captain of the football team and a Star Man (in the top 5 percent of his class academically) -- the only cadet in West Point history to hold all four honors at once.

Following his time at Oxford, Dawkins served 24 years in the Army, winning two Bronze Stars for Valor in Vietnam and rising to the rank of Brigadier General. After his retirement from the armed forces in 1983, he entered the business world. He ran for a U.S. Senate seat in New Jersey as a Republican in 1988, but lost to incumbent Democrat Frank Lautenberg.

Dawkins, 73, resides in Rumson, N.J., and is vice chairman of Citigroup Private Bank.

Click here for full article.

Our Mission

The mission of AARS is to bring Rhodes Scholars in America together in support of the Rhodes Scholarship, its values, and Oxford University through events, publications, networks and the web.

Resources

Contact