Dan Dawson Retires After 21-Year NLL Career

Three-time NLL champion Dan Dawson announced his retirement on Monday afternoon, putting an end on a Hall of Fame caliber 21-year career.

The Toronto Rock shared in a release that Dawson will become the team’s director of player development.

Dawson, 41, is one of the greatest box lacrosse players in history. The Oakville, Ontario, product won NLL championships in 2013 and 2014 with Rochester, earning the 2014 NLL Finals MVP, and then another in 2018 with Saskatchewan.

In his 2009 MVP season, Dawson produced 104 points. Overall, Dawson’s 1,505 career points are second to John Tavares in the history of the NLL. His 551 goals are fourth in NLL history, and his 954 assists are the most ever.

He’s also played in 322 NLL games, more than anyone in the league’s storied history. This after Dawson was drafted 68th overall in the sixth round of the 2001 NLL Draft. He split those 322 games between Arizona, Portland, Boston, Philadelphia, Rochester, Saskatchewan, San Diego and Toronto.

“In the offseason was the first time I thought about [retiring], and then heading into this season, I knew it was going to be my last and it just felt right,” Dawson said in a release. “It's so funny when you talk to people that have done this and exited the game or a career after an extended period of time, they always say [that] you know. You know when it's your time. It just felt right. I know it's the right time.”