Paul Dawkins


Paul Dawkins was an American-Turkish professional basketball player, who played for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association, appearing in 57 games. He was inducted into the Northern Illinois University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991. He was inducted into the Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

College career

Dawkins attended Northern Illinois University, from 1975-79, and graduated as the school's all-time leading scorer, with 1,749 points. As a senior in 1978–79, he was the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year, and finished 5th in the nation in scoring, at 26.7 points per game.

Professional career

Following his collegiate career, Dawkins was drafted in the 10th round, of the 1979 NBA Draft, by the Utah Jazz. Dawkins appeared in 57 NBA games, while averaging 13.6 minutes and 5.5 points per game. He scored 30 points in one half, during a game against the Portland Trail Blazers, making 13 of 15 shots from the field.
He played in the Turkish Super League with Galatasaray, between 1982–90, and also had Turkish citizenship. He won the 1984–85, 1985–86, and 1989–90 Turkish League championships. During the 1982–83 season, he averaged 37 points per game, and he had an eight-year career average of over 31 points per game in the Turkish League.