Meet Millard Dawson, former physical therapist tech for the Atlanta Falcons, minor league baseball player and the current general manager of personal training for Auburn Max Fitness and Auburn Fitness for Women.
Dawson was born in Montgomery and attended Robert E. Lee High School where he played football, basketball, baseball and competed on the track team.
From there he went to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he studied exercise science and health promotion. He was a member of the football team and played wide receiver. Dawson was also a centerfielder on the baseball team.
After his sophomore year, Dawson transferred to the University of Montevallo, where he studied kinesiology and played baseball. During his senior year at Montevallo, his team ended the season ranked third in the nation in its division by USA Today's college baseball poll.
"The most important thing I have learned being involved in sports is that no one man is greater than the team," Dawson said. "You are only as strong as your weakest link."
After college, Dawson moved to Atlanta to work as a physical therapist tech for the Atlanta Falcons team doctor, Scott Gillogly. His daily duties included assisting the therapist with rehabilitation exercise, hydromat therapy, ultrasounds and electrical stimulation for the Falcon players.
"Working with the doctors at Atlanta Sports Medicine really opened my eyes to the medical world," Dawson said. "One of the best things about working there was going to work every day knowing that you were making a difference in someone's life. Getting them back to something they loved."
One of Dawson's favorite experiences was meeting his favorite baseball player of all time, Hank Aaron, when he came in for his knee replacement surgery.
Dawson then signed a minor league baseball contract to play for the Kansas City T-Bones in Kansas City in 2008.
"It was always my dream as a kid to play professional baseball one day," Dawson said. "That dream had finally come true."
Dawson played baseball for two more seasons. One was with the Anderson Joes, in Anderson, S.C., and his last year was playing for Cecil Fielder in Charlotte County, Fla. for the Charlotte County Redfish, before the league folded.
Dawson then returned to his love of football while living in Florida. He tried out for the Florida Scorpions professional indoor football team, where he eventually became the team's starting quarterback.
"The best part about being involved with sports teams is the camaraderie and lifelong friendships that are built during these times," Dawson said. "No one can take that away from you."
Dawson moved back to Alabama in April 2012, where he has been the general manager of personal training at Max Fitness and Auburn Fitness for Women.
Dawson aims to educate clients on how to live a better lifestyle and to "give my best to each individual that I sit in front of, because you never know what they are going through on the inside," Dawson said.
Dawson's sports experiences taught him to be competitive in everything he does.
"Character, respect and hard work are just a few of the things that were instilled in me at an early age in sports and life," Dawson said.
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