Cornell High School football coach Ed Dawson dies during game
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The gist
Cornell High School football coach Ed Dawson died after a medical emergency during a Week 9 game against Rochester.
His death leaves the program he rebuilt since 2011 facing an uncertain next step.
Background
Ed Dawson was the longtime head coach of the Cornell High School football team, named to the job in 2011 and a former standout linebacker for Aliquippa's 1992 WPIAL and PIAA championship teams. After Cornell stepped away from football in 2012, he served as an assistant and liaison at Quaker Valley during a co-op, then helped revitalize the program when the Raiders returned in 2016. He led Cornell to its first conference championship in 36 years in 2019 and its first outright conference title in 38 seasons in 2021.
How it unfolded
- 2011Ed Dawson was named head coach of the Cornell High School football team.
- 2012Cornell stepped away from football; Dawson served as an assistant coach and liaison for Cornell at Quaker Valley during a co-op.
- 2016Dawson helped revitalize the program when the Raiders returned.
- 2019Dawson led Cornell to its first conference championship in 36 years and into the WPIAL semifinals; he was named the Times' high school football coach of the year.
- 2021Dawson led Cornell to its first outright conference title in 38 seasons with a 7-2 record and returned the team to the semifinals.
- Oct 23, 2026During the second quarter against Rochester, Dawson told an assistant coach he was not feeling well, was advised to sit on the bench, and lay down on the team bench. Medical personnel administered CPR for several minutes before transporting him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The game was called with Cornell leading 16-6.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Cornell athletic director Bill Sacco confirmed the news late Friday night and said discussions will be held with everyone, including Coach Dawson's wife, on whether the team should go on.
- Official
- Cornell School District superintendent Aaron Thomas said Dawson was an integral part of the district and that the community is heartbroken, crushed and in shock.
- Caution
- Sacco said Cornell will grieve for a long time and that it is not clear how the program will get back to where it needs to be.
Still unverified
No additional details regarding the nature of the medical emergency were immediately released.