Gold Jacket Spotlight: Dermontti Dawson ‘pulled’ center position to new level

Gold Jacket Spotlight Published on : 12/11/2023
During a span of 36 years, the Pittsburgh Steelers utilized three centers: Ray Mansfield, MIKE WEBSTER and DERMONTTI DAWSON. Two of those centers are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Dermontti responded to the challenge of following in the footsteps of a Class of 1977 Hall of Famer, Webster, by revolutionizing the position and becoming a Hall of Fame center as well.

His legacy of refining the position is the subject of this week’s Gold Jacket Spotlight. 

Arriving in Pittsburgh as a second-round draft selection, Dermontti played guard during his initial season before moving to center to replace the retiring Webster.

While reflecting on the move to center in a 1996 “Gameday” story, Dermontti said, “People would ask me if it was going to be hard to replace a legend, and I said, ‘Yes, because people will judge me on what he did.’ I just asked for a chance to find my own niche and learn the position. Hopefully, I’m making my own mark on history for the NFL and the Steelers.”

Indisputably, Dermontti made his mark.

Steelers coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer CHUCK NOLL, who coached all three of these centers, told “Gameday”: “Dermontti is a much better athlete than either Raymond or Mike. Raymond was a heady player. He’d find a way to get the job done. Mike had great strength and power. Dermontti has it all: smarts, strength, quickness, and speed.”

Those characteristics permitted Dermontti to transform the center position, according to former Steelers offensive line coach Kevin Stephenson, who once declared, “I’ve never coached a center like him. I’ve never had anyone who could run like him or do the things he can do. He allows us to be more flexible in our offense because we can pull him on sweeps and do things a little bit differently than other teams.”

The ”pulling” center concept not only allowed the Steelers’ running game to improve, but it also garnered the attention of other NFL teams.

“You never had a center pull until Dermontti Dawson,” former Steelers running back Merril Hoge proclaimed. “He revolutionized and changed how teams ran the football in the NFL. Dermontti changed how we ran the ball.”

Hoge added, “When I went to Chicago (via free agency), they asked me to show them how we ran the football. I drew it up and said, ‘We pull the center.’ They said, ‘We can’t do that.’ I told them, ‘Well, then you can’t run the ball like we did in Pittsburgh.’”

Teammates and foes alike recognized the position-altering talents of Dermontti.

In a 1998 Sports Illustrated story, Steelers defensive end Kevin Henry remarked, “Dermontti Dawson does things centers have no business being able to do.”

A beneficiary of Dermontti’s efforts, Hall of Fame running back JEROME BETTIS added, “He’s not the quickest center in the league; he’s the quickest lineman in the league.” 

Linemate Roger Duffy said Dermontti “gets out in space, and he’s as nimble as a defensive back. I’ve played center, but when I watch Dermontti, it’s like the tape is on a different speed.”

While in his role as defensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals, Larry Peccatiello spoke glowingly of Dermontti.

“His athletic ability at that position is unparalleled,” he told The Sporting News. “I never go on record as saying anyone is the best, but let me say this: In the circle he finds himself in, there isn’t much room for anyone else.”

Noll’s assessment of Dermontti in the “Gameday” article foreshadowed Dermontti’s trip to Canton.

“I think Dermontti has the kind of ability to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Noll said. “He’s an All-Pro. He’s made the Pro Bowl. If he can hang around long enough, I think he’s got a shot at being one of the game’s greatest centers.”

In 2012, Dermontti “pulled” that Gold Jacket created by Haggar on during his enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.