Colin Dawson (CACD; CAC Dawson CA; Dobs; Dobsy; Dobbin) is one of Accies longest-serving members and greatest assets.
After attending the Academy, Dobs' Accies career began in the 1970s. In the coming years, Dobs would hold many positions of power within the club, including a stint as first team captain and an ongoing spell of several decades as treasurer and junior convenor. Though his playing days have now been cut short by injury, many still at the club will remember Dobs as the embattled captain of Alps, whose Saturday morning trips to Anniesland to find some schoolboys to play cricket in the afternoon became the stuff of legend.
Most of Colin's great feats as a player occurred well before this biographer was around to witness them - and Dobs conveniently claims that the scorecards of his "golden years" have been lost in the mists of time - but one story of his talent springs to mind above all others. In a third team game at Ardrossan in the early 2000s, Dobs opened the batting and anchored the innings with a patient 50, including two massive sixes over deep square leg. When questioned by younger members of the team about his new-found muscle, Dobsy replied with the immortal line: "Ah... you don't drop short to me". When he wasn't murdering short balls, Dobs' cricketing career was characterised by his love of taking wickets with his grenades against hot-headed juniors, and by the famous pads-on-fire incident which made the national press.
A dedicated and hard-working volunteer for both Accies and the WDJCU, Dobs' incredible contributions were dually recognised at the end of 2009. Firstly, Accies inaugurated the "Dobbin Award" for outstanding juniors at its AGM and latterly, Dobs was one of a handful of volunteers given a one-off award by Glasgow Sports Council for 30 years' service to sport. Dobs deserves these accolades and many more and Accies hopes he will remain involved with the club for many years to come.
Written by Austin, updated December '24.