One could argue that the San Francisco 49ers’ most consistent offensive player this season is Kicker Phil Dawson. Even with four misses, this fan was very confident when he took the field Sunday for both the game-tying and game-winning field goals. As you know, he made both, and the 49ers are still in the playoff hunt.
Think you know all there is to know about Phil Dawson? Think again. Presenting five fun facts about the Niners’ kicker.
1) Between Field Goals and Extra Points, Dawson has accounted for 90 of the 49ers 195 total points all season.
2) Dawson kicks with his right foot but throws with his left hand.
3) There is a “Phil Dawson Rule“, stemming from November 2007, when Dawson’s Cleveland Browns played the Baltimore Ravens. Attempting to tie the game and go to overtime, Dawson kicked a 51-yard FG, which hit the left upright and then the rear curved post, bouncing the football over the crossbar and into the end zone. It was determined that the kick was no good and according to NFL rules at the time, it could not be reviewed. As the Ravens left the field to celebrate their victory, the refs discussed the play and overturned the call stating that the ball had crossed inside the goal. The Ravens had to come back onto the field for OT – an OT in which Dawson kicked the game-winning FG. By the next season, the NFL changed the rule to allow such plays to be reviewed – it is the “Phil Dawson Rule.”
4) In 1999, Dawson scored a touchdown while playing for the Browns. It was on a fake field goal. Hear that Greg Roman? Not a bad idea.
5) As a high school senior, Dawson started at both kicker and offensive tackle, until a knee injury forced him to focus on kicking. Lucky us, Niner fans. Lucky us.