Penn State center Nick Dawkins already built his legacy while waiting his time to take the field

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — After Penn State’s season ended in a loss to Notre Dame, fifth-year center Nick Dawkins, who normally was all smiles in the postgame locker rooms for much of the season, sat quietly at his locker, slowly unraveling the tape on his fingers.

At an initial glance, it looked as though it would be the last time Dawkins would wear the Nittany Lions’ unmistakable blue and white. A few days later, Dawkins revealed that he would return to Penn State for his sixth season. (He also redshirted in 2020, his freshman season.)

It would be hard to just give it all up, especially for a player who patiently waited his turn for four years. Dawkins never opted to transfer. He chose to “stick it out.” He was there for an education and to one day take the field for Penn State, but while he waited patiently, Dawkins was able to make an impact off the field — largely through philanthropic endeavors.

His immediate and extended family members, many of whom had legendary touchpoints with Philadelphia teams, have done the same, and Nick is the latest to continue the legacy.

His father? Former 76ers center Darryl “Chocolate Thunder” Dawkins, who died in 2015. His cousin is legendary Eagles safety Brian Dawkins.

And that’s just to name a few.

“Guys typically don’t want to wait around,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “He’s waited all this time to be a starter. Right now he’s playing really well. It’s very important to him, and I just think he’s one of these guys that really has maximized his Penn State experience.”

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Dawkins’ return will follow a successful 2024 season. He was named a team captain and starting center. Most notably, he won the Wuerffel Trophy, an honor for the “FBS player who best combines exemplary community service with leadership achievement on and off the field.”

“The work that we’ve been able to do on the platform that I’ve been able to cultivate the last year or two just off the strength of football, it’s awesome,” Dawkins said. “It feels like it’s only the beginning of what can be done and how many more people we can help and impact.”

Dawkins draws tons of inspiration from his late father, and inspiration abounds from his elder cousin Brian, but even in the distance, there are ties to the pros. He’s a distant cousin of former Temple and now Buffalo Bills guard Dion Dawkins, and New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns is also a cousin.

But Dawkins is not merely focused on being part of a lineage that has reached the highest level of professional sports. It’s the off-the-field achievements that have truly set the Dawkins name apart, he says. In the case of his father, Darryl, it wasn’t just his earth-shattering dunks. He also was known as a philanthropist in the Philadelphia area.

“The mindset of our family is that you leave the world a better place,” said Janice Dawkins, Nick’s mother. “That requires you to give back and to give of yourself.”

A former star at Parkland High in Allentown, Nick Dawkins often went on those giveback trips with his father, but when Darryl died, it became much more than being on the sidelines in helping the community. The son knew it was his time to step up. That was drilled home just a couple of weeks after Darryl Dawkins died while Nick was at the barbershop he frequented.

“No one’s going to save you; no one’s going to come help you,” he recalled his barber telling him. “This is your responsibility.”

“When I was told that,” Dawkins said, “I understood that part of my childhood and that part of growing up was kind of over. It was now time to transition into being a man and taking care of my family. My dad, everything he did, he was confident whether people liked it, they didn’t like it, they didn’t agree. I trust where I’ve invested my money in, where I’ve watered my plants at, and that’s where I’m going to stay at.”

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Nick founded the Dawkins Family Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to empower young people to “unlock their full potential” for academic and professional success. His philanthropic efforts are part of his family-driven mission — and a continuation of several charitable efforts he and his family have set up nonprofits for, in addition to being involved in other foundations.

The family says it’s a continuation of the notable work that Darryl Dawkins did through the NBA Cares initiative.

“It’s honoring my dad but also creating it as a standard for my sisters, for my moms, for my kids, if I have any,” Nick said about the foundation, which finds a member of the Dawkins family across every facet of its operations. “This is what our last name means. It means service. It means community [and] servitude. It means helping when you can help.”

Winning the Wuerffel Trophy furthered those efforts. It brought attention to both his foundation and the family name. As part of the honor, Dawkins attended the Heisman Trophy ceremony, where he talked with college football legend Tim Tebow, who is noted for his own vast philanthropic endeavors.

“What I’m put on this earth to do is to do community service,” Dawkins said. “To help people and change people’s lives and try to impact as best as I can within my human realm. It feels like it’s only the beginning of what can be done and how many more people we can help and impact.”

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On game days, the 6-foot-4, 298-pound Dawkins masks his community-driven mindset with a wealth of eye black and a range of tattoos topped with painted hair.

His appearance pops as much as his personality does, and he’s widely regarded as the “mayor” of Penn State.

“He’s very articulate, he’s very ambitious. He’s also extremely charismatic,” Franklin said. “[Many] people call him like he’s the mayor of State College. I can see him being governor of the state one day. I don’t put anything past this guy.”

Another reason for the title of mayor: Even though he bided his time to get to this point, Dawkins has been one of the biggest leaders at Penn State. The offensive line has benefited from his presence since his arrival in State College.

“He’s got the gift of gab, so he can talk your ear off, but he’s also a very good motivator, very helpful for our young guys,” said junior left tackle Drew Shelton.

It’s the same trait he tries to bring to his community work. His mother said that 70% of her son’s personality is a mirror image of how Darryl carried himself. The other 30%? His patience. Janice Dawkins noted that if he could. Nick would help everyone he comes in contact with. She’s often complimented on the energy he brings to any room and says that his view of the world will continue to make him an imposing presence — on the field and off.

“I am thankful that he is mindful of everything around him, and he’s appreciative of all the small things that he has in his world,” she said. “I have a really cool kid.”