Phil Dawson On Playing For Browns: "It Goes Beyond My Wildest Dreams"

Dawson will be inducted to the Browns Legends this fall after playing 14 seasons in Cleveland

Oct 15, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Former Cleveland Browns kicker Phil Dawson riles up the crowd before the game between the Browns and the San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Every so often the relationship between professional athletes and the fan base they play for goes well beyond the lines on a field.

Such is the case for retired NFL kicker Phil Dawson and his relationship with the city of Cleveland. Or more particularly his relationship with Cleveland Browns fans.

Dawson spent 14 seasons suiting up for the franchise from it's return to town in 1999 through 2012 and served as a beacon of hope for fans during an era that didn't produce much winning. After spending the final six years of his career at two other stops in San Francisco and Arizona, Dawson is scheduled to return to a place he calls home as a "Browns Legends" nominee for the 2024 season.

The honor will be bestowed upon the Browns No. 2 all-time scorer during their Week 3 home matchup with the New York Giants on Sept. 22. Dawson will have an opportunity address the fan base he formed a tight bond with for over a decade.

During an interview on 92.3 The Fans' Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima, the 49-year-old provided a tease of the message he wants to share.

"How much I love em," said Dawson of what he wants to tell Browns fans. "Being a professional athlete is a gift, anywhere you play, but to have the opportunity to play in Cleveland for 14 years and develop the relationships and the connection with the city the way I did, that goes beyond my wildest dreams. I want people to know I'm proud to be a Brown. I will always be proud to be a Brown. I couldn't have done it without em, and I appreciate the fact that the fans were hard on me early. They made me earn it. And that's Cleveland. There are no handouts, you earn what you get."

Dropped my 4 burning #Browns questions earlier today and on the docket this week is what Cleveland will do with their surplus of quarterbacks later this summer: https://t.co/d5vB8vxg7J

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There's no denying those sentiments are mutual from the Browns faithful. When you earn respect from Cleveland fans you'll have it forever. Now, the unique relationship between Dawson and the fan base will be immortalized with his induction to the Browns Legends. It may be an individual honor, but Dawson is treating it like a group one.

"To now have an opportunity to come back home and celebrate together, this is an us award. It's not a me award," he said. "When I say I couldn't have done it without [the fans], I mean it."

It's obvious Cleveland holds a special place in Dawson's soul. That's the case even though he played for two additional teams and experienced plenty of interactions with opposing of supporting fan bases over the course of a 20-year career. Those years spent in Cleveland stood out above the rest. And as the 49-year-old noted, he knew Browns fans were different from the moment he arrived in town back in 1999.

"First thing you notice when you come to Cleveland is the passion of the fans. It's unmatched," Dawson said. "I was fortunate to play two other places and obviously played in every NFL city. Lot of great fans around the country but there's just something different about the Cleveland fan. The city of Cleveland identifies themselves as Browns. There's no separation. You're not going to a football game to hope your team wins. You're going cause your city is out there playing."