“There’s a lot of great athletes, and I’ve been around a few really great athletes,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy said.

“The thing that makes Clifton Dawson and [quarterback] Ryan Fitzpatrick so special—and I use that word, and I don’t use it very much as you know—is that they’re unbelievably mentally tough.”

For Dawson, it’s just all part of his everyday game. He’ll take the glory, but it’s secondary to the day-by-day grind.

“I’m honored to be in the presence of such great backs that we’ve had at Harvard,” Dawson said. “I think that the fact that I was able to accomplish such a task, a feat midway through the season is a compliment to how well our offensive line has played...Their names deserve to be right up there beside mine.”

With four games remaining in the season, it’s safe to say that the new records Dawson now owns won’t be the last to be rechristened under his name.

The single-season rushing-yard total and career touchdown marks are well in reach. Keep that Wite-Out handy, folks—odds are you’ll need it this weekend against Dartmouth.

—LISA J. KENNELLY