(STATS) – Dan Hawkins is quick to point to UC Davis graduates who have gone on to success coaching college football elsewhere yet haven’t forgotten their roots through support of the school. Coaches like Mike Bellotti and Chris Petersen.
Near the top of that list is the 58-year-old Hawkins, a football lifer and teacher who has reinvigorated the Aggies.
In his second season directing a program that didn’t have a winning season since 2010, the 1984 UC Davis graduate led the Aggies to a 10-3 record and a share of their first Big Sky championship and berth in the FCS playoffs, where they reached the quarterfinals. They also achieved their first national ranking on the FCS level, rising as high as No. 4 under the 2018 STATS FCS Eddie Robinson Award recipient.
“This is a great formula for success in life, school and football,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins’ coaching career began as a student assistant at his alma mater, and his intellectual approach is ideally suited for a program that has led Big Sky football in its NCAA academic standing for five straight years. But he’s always had a touch for lifting teams on the field as well. In his first two seasons with the Aggies, they featured a high-powered offense, led by the last two Big Sky offensive players of the year, wide receiver Keelan Doss (2017) and quarterback Jake Maier (2018).
“I think we are a selfless group – everybody from top to bottom – with no ego, an aggressive team that plays with confidence and plays to win, instead of being afraid to lose,” Hawkins said. “Everyone plays for the love of the game, and for the love of each other, and does not worry about themselves, outside forces or situations.”
Hawkins will receive the Eddie Robinson Award at the STATS FCS Awards Banquet Friday night in Frisco, Texas.
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