Frederick Martin Dawley (March 11, 1921 – April 13, 1994) was an American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 player. Dawley played for Detroit's Pershing High School before enrolling at the University of Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

. He played at the fullback

Fullback (American football)

A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...

 position for the University of Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

 from 1939 to 1941. In October 1944, Dawley was signed by the Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...

 and played professional football for the Lions in the 1944 NFL season

1944 NFL season

The 1944 NFL season was the 25th regular season of the United States National Football League. The Boston Yanks joined the league as an expansion team. Also, the Brooklyn Dodgers changed their name to Brooklyn Tigers. Meanwhile, both the Cleveland Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles resumed their...

. In 1945, the Lions loaned Dawley "for seasoning" to the Los Angeles Bulldogs

Los Angeles Bulldogs

The Los Angeles Bulldogs were a professional American football team that competed from 1936 to 1948...

 in the Pacific Coast Professional Football League

Pacific Coast Professional Football League

The Pacific Coast Professional Football League , also known as the Pacific Coast Football League and Pacific Coast League was a professional American football league based in California, USA, and competed from 1940 through 1948 in sports...

. Playing for the Bulldogs, Dawley kicked extra points and sprinted for an 81-yard touchdown in a game against the Oakland Giants. The Los Angeles Times described Dawley's touchdown run as follows:

"The Bulldogs took a 7-0 lead in the opening period, thanks to an 81-yard sprint by Fred Dawley, starting on the 19-yard stripe, smashed through center, busted past three men in the secondary and outsped the field for the touchdown. He made it despite his 210 pounds with a couple of lighter men on his heels."

The United Press called Dawley's run the "top play of the day."

Dawley died in 1994 at age 73 while living in Stuart, Florida

Stuart, Florida

Stuart is the only incorporated city of Martin County, Florida, on Florida's Treasure Coast. The population was 14,633 at the 2000 census. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 15,964....

.