Former Rockets Assistant Coach and GM Carroll Dawson Dead at 86
Source: Rudy T with Carroll Dawson talks to the media Jan. 7, 1999, on the basketball court at the Westside Tennis Center. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
HOUSTON — Former Houston Rockets assistant coach and general manager Carroll Dawson has died at the age of 86, according to the team. Dawson was part of the coaching staff for the 1993-94 and 1994-95 Rockets, which won back-to-back NBA Championships.
The Rockets family mourns the loss of beloved former coach and general manager, Carroll Dawson, affectionately known as “CD.”
For nearly three decades, CD was a cornerstone of our organization, instrumental in shaping the careers of stars like Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson.… pic.twitter.com/U0iE3EIET1
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) September 9, 2024
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The Rockets honored Dawson’s tenure with the organization by hanging his initials, “CD,” in the rafters of Toyota Center in 2007.
Dawson’s coaching career started at Baylor University, where he played center for the Bears in the 1950s and 1960s. He was the head coach of the men’s basketball team from 1973 to 1977.
Afterward he’d spend time as a scout for the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys before landing with the Rockets as an assistant coach in 1979.
Due to being struck by lightning in 1989, his vision got progressively worse, retiring from coaching and moving into the front office as the Rockets’ GM in 1996. In that role he was able to bring former Rockets center Yao Ming to Houston via the 2002 NBA Draft. He also orchestrated the seven-player trade that brought superstar shooting guard Tracy McGrady to Houston in 2004.
Dawson retired from the Rockets in 2007, with former Rockets GM Daryl Morey replacing him.
Dawson served under head coaches Del Harris, Bill Fitch, Don Chaney and Rudy Tomjanovich. He coached several of the franchise’s greatest players, like Moses Malone, Ralph Sampson, Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon.
