THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2009
SPORTS
5B
COACH (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
"It would be an understatement to Chris Dawson to call him anything less than one of the best strength and conditioning coaches in the nation," Cornish said.
of everything that goes on" senior running back Jake Sharp said.
But on certain days when the Jayhawks are grinding through another workout regimen, Kansas' players will glance at one of the
Dawson's workouts aren't easy. Any former or current player will attest to that.
pieces of equipment and see ... Chris Dawson?
"Daws, he'll do the same workout we're doing," sophomore cornerback Daymond Patterson said. "That really makes you look at it and say, 'OK, he's old, say, 'OK, he's old, playing no
"If I wanted to get on the field when I played football in college, I had to live in the weight room."
more. We should be able to do this if we're still playing."
Therein lies an underlying theme for Dawson. He wants his workouts to be challenging and difficult, but he doesn't want them to be impossible.
Still, don't be mistaken: Dawson's job is to topple previously thought limits and replace them with an even higher, more demanding standard.
CHRIS DAWSON Strength coach
Cornish, a lightly recruited running back from Canada, is a prime example.
Weston White/KANSAN
Cornish originally arrived at Kansas with an already conceptualized idea of what it would take to become a successful player in the ultra-competitive Big 12. Then he met Dawson, who tossed that idea aside.
Cornish rushed for 1,457 yards his senior season. It still is the highest single-season total in the history of Kansas football.
"I didn't have a choice," Dawson said. "If I wanted to get on the field when I played football in college, I had to live in the weight room."
strength and conditioning coach started in the weight room — where else? As a player at Oklahoma in the early '90s, Dawson quickly noticed the subtle writing on the wall.
If he wanted to play at Oklahoma — if he wanted to be able to compete against top-level athletes — the weight room had to develop into a second home.
"Some people don't have the drive," Cornish said. "What I think Dawson does is give players the drive. I think a lot of other teams in the Big 12 have strength coaches like him. But at the same time I think he's one of the reasons why the program is where it is now."
Chris Dawson, Kansas football strength and conditioning coach, adjusts a player's workout for the 6:45 a.m. session late last week. "Your strength coach has to be a guy that has great enthusiasm" coach Mark Mannins said.
--wasn't talented enough to do otherwise."
Chris Dawson, Kansas football strength and conditioning coach, watches as a player works out. Many former players regard Dawson as one of the best strength and conditioning coaches in the country.
Dawson's path to becoming a
After graduating,
Dawson decided to
join then-Oklahoma
strength and
conditioning coach Joe
Jurasek's staff as a
graduate assistant
"initially when I went into it I didn't think I'd stay in it," Dawson said. "but I
really enjoyed it. I decided about after six months that this is exactly what I want to do"
Dawson, who Mangino said impressed him while at Oklahoma, arrived at Kansas before the season in 2003. And immediately he was faced with an uphill climb.
The layhawks didn't been to a bowl game since 1995. They won just two games, including zero in the Big 12, in 2002. Mangino, entering only his second season, was attempting to disband a nagging losing mentality.
"When coach Dawson first came in, he literally made sure that everyone was doing everything all the time," Rivera said. "He was a discipline freak, running people all the
time and all that kind of stuff. Now he's into developing players."
The general division made in the college football world is simple. There is a season and then there is an offseason. For Dawson, there is no such distinction.
- but it highlights an interesting part of the job.
Dawson spends roughly 352 days of the year with players — "That's not exact," he said, noting mandatory days off and voluntary workouts
"He's done more for that program than anybody but Mangino himself."
"Chris is important to the program because Chris does about 80 or 90 percent of his work when I'm not around and the assistant coaches aren't around," Mangino said. "Your strength coach has to be a guy that has great enthusiasm. He's a self-starter and he takes a great
JON CORNISH Former running back
deal of pride in the performance of the players"
willing to talk.
"I don't know that I've ever referred to it as a job other than sitting here with you because that's certainly not how a view it," Dawson said. "The grind, the work — it doesn't change."
Near the end of the conversation, the visitor sitting in Dawson's office gets his attention once more. This time Dawson is talking about Kansas' turnaround, specifically the higher-caliber of athletes and the recently built facilities.
Plus, Dawson has little influence in direct game day decisions, allowing for a more open relationship. Sharp, Kansas' running back, said Dawson's office door is usually open and the coach is always
"I don't have a depth chart on my board. I don't get to decide who is on the field. That takes a lot of stress or pressure off the relationship as
So the visitor decides to tack on one more question: Does the job
well" Dawson said. "You really get to see the kids grow and mature."
He wouldn't want it any other way.
Edited by Tim Burgess
RUNNING (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
every day reminded Broholm "what a gas" cross country was.
"When it looks like they're not doing much but a lot is coming out, you know they're really good," Broholm said.
Broholm started travelling to meets and soon found that same sense of camaraderie he had back in high school when he ran cross country. The parents and supporters that he saw at each meet all seemed to know each other; they would cheer for each other's kids and other school's teams because they realized how hard each athlete was working. Broholm remembers spending entire meets with random families just talking about cross country and watching the runners go by.
This season Broholm has only made it out to two meets but plans to head for Columbia, Mo., this weekend to watch Kansas compete in the Big 12 Championship. During the years, Broholm has watched runners and learned who they are and he can tell when someone is having a big race. Broholm has followed senior runner Lauren Bonds her whole career at Kansas. She won the Bob Timmons Classic last year, one of the meets hosted by Kansas. Broholm also has his eye on sophomore runner Donny Wasinger, who made his debut at Kansas last year, leading the team in four races.
"Everybody always thinks that this could be their year but it all comes down to the end of the season." Broholm said.
With only three meets left this season, including this Saturday's, Broholm will have a few more chances to travel and watch Kansas compete. .
"Just having people out there cheering for you really makes a difference," Broholm said. He intends to be there yelling and running alongside for seasons to come.
Edited by Betsy Cutcliff
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