In the summer of 1959, the Royal Oak City Commission unanimously passed a resolution declaring July 23 as “Pete Dawkins Day” — an official salute to a hometown hero whose name was making headlines across the country. From neighborhood kid to national icon, Dawkins' story remains one of the most remarkable to ever come out of Royal Oak.

Peter Miller Dawkins was born in 1938 and spent his formative years on Roseland Avenue before the family moved to Greenleaf Avenue, where he lived as he rose to prominence.

Dawkins attended Northbrook Elementary School. However, at age 11, he contracted polio but underwent successful treatment. He later went to Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills, where he was an All-League quarterback and captain of the baseball team. Dawkins showed promise, but few could have predicted the staggering list of achievements he would rack up before the age of 25.

In 1955, Dawkins was accepted to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Four years later, in 1959, he graduated as First Captain of the Corps of Cadets, the academy’s highest leadership position. That alone would be notable. But in the same whirlwind year, Dawkins was also named a Rhodes Scholar, became an All-American football player, and won the Heisman Trophy – college football’s most prestigious honor.

In his years on the field, where he was a halfback and left-handed passer, he rushed for 1,123 yards, threw 16 passes, seven of which were for touchdowns, caught 27 passes for 716 yards, and scored 158 points. As a senior, Dawkins rushed for 428 yards and five touchdowns, caught another six TDs through the air, and totaled another 294 yards on punt and kick returns. He finished with 1,216 all-purpose yards and 12 TDs as the Black Knights went undefeated for the season with an 8-0-1 record and ranked third in the country.

As a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, he played for the university’s rugby team for three years. He later attended Princeton, where he received a Master of Public Administration and a Ph.D. His military career was equally impressive, reaching the rank of Brigadier General. After serving for 24 years, he retired and entered the business world.

Today, Pete Dawkins remains a living legend. He is currently the oldest living Heisman Trophy winner and the only Michigan native to have ever received the award.


Please visit and support the Royal Oak Historical Museum at 1411 W. Webster Road in Royal Oak. For more information visit royaloakhistoricalsociety.com or call (248) 439-1501. Hours are 1-4 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.