Columbia Trailblazer: Heyward Dotson ‘70CC, ‘76LAW
2/23/2021 11:00:00 AM | General, Men's Basketball
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Basketball star Heyward Dodson became the first Black student-athlete from Columbia to earn a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH–Columbia men's basketball great Heyward Dotson '70CC was a star on the court and in the classroom. Dotson starred on the Lions' 1968 Ivy League Championship squad and was the first Black student-athlete at Columbia to earn a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University.
Self-proclaimed as a scholar first and an athlete second, Dotson spent virtually his entire life in the Big Apple. Raised in Staten Island, Dotson attended the advanced-curriculum Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan and became one of the first Black Americans to graduate from one of the top public high schools in New York City.
Standing 6-foot-4-inches tall, Dotson played center throughout his high school career. But at Columbia, with 7-footer and fellow 2018 Hall of Fame inductee David Newmark established in that role, he used the same intelligence and swagger that got him into an Ivy League institution onto the court and blossomed into a star.
His speed, passing, defense, and competitive nature was a catalyst in Columbia's run to the 1968 Ivy League Championship, a No. 6 national ranking and a 23-5 overall record. That season, the Lions won the prestigious Holiday Festival basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden, captured the Ivy League crown by beating Princeton, 92–74, in a playoff game at St. John's. The Lions went on to advance to the NCAA Tournament's round of 16. Dotson's 32 points in an 83–69 NCAA Tournament first-round win over LaSalle is the record for a Columbia player in an NCAA tournament game.
Dotson finished his career third on the school's career scoring list and is currently ranked No. 10 with 1,266 points. In his 76-game collegiate career, he averaged 16.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game over his three-year career. Averaging double figures in points in each of his three seasons, he was an extremely efficient player, as he converted 72.0 percent of his free throw attempts and a then-school-record 54.2 percent of his shots during his career. The field goal record stood for nine years and still ranks among the top-five in school history.
At Columbia, Dotson was also a star in the classroom. He was named to the Dean's List during all six of his semesters on Morningside Heights. Following his graduation in 1970, Dotson turned down professional opportunities and instead chose to attend Oxford University, earning Rhodes Scholar status. He followed in the path of former Princeton star Bill Bradley and continued his basketball career in Europe.
Dotson returned to the United States, tried out for the New York Knicks in 1972, and played two seasons professionally in the American Basketball Association and Eastern Basketball Association from 1972-74 before beginning his legal career. He graduated from Columbia's Law School in 1976 and then went on to serve as a prominent lawyer with the firm Shea & Gold. He also served as a member of the New York City Council for many years.
Dodson was twice inducted into Columbia's Hall of Fame, first as a member of the 1967-68 Ivy League champion men's basketball team and then as an individual in 2018.
"Heyward was one of the smartest, toughest individuals I have ever had the privilege of knowing," said Dotson's teammate Jonathan Schiller '69CC '73LAW and Chair Emeritus of Columbia's Board of Trustees. "He was eloquent, proud, and gracious for the opportunities he had earned and what he was able to accomplish as the result. We were fortunate to be with him in life."
Dodson passed away on Friday, May 1, 2020, at the age of 71.
Self-proclaimed as a scholar first and an athlete second, Dotson spent virtually his entire life in the Big Apple. Raised in Staten Island, Dotson attended the advanced-curriculum Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan and became one of the first Black Americans to graduate from one of the top public high schools in New York City.
Standing 6-foot-4-inches tall, Dotson played center throughout his high school career. But at Columbia, with 7-footer and fellow 2018 Hall of Fame inductee David Newmark established in that role, he used the same intelligence and swagger that got him into an Ivy League institution onto the court and blossomed into a star.
His speed, passing, defense, and competitive nature was a catalyst in Columbia's run to the 1968 Ivy League Championship, a No. 6 national ranking and a 23-5 overall record. That season, the Lions won the prestigious Holiday Festival basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden, captured the Ivy League crown by beating Princeton, 92–74, in a playoff game at St. John's. The Lions went on to advance to the NCAA Tournament's round of 16. Dotson's 32 points in an 83–69 NCAA Tournament first-round win over LaSalle is the record for a Columbia player in an NCAA tournament game.Dotson finished his career third on the school's career scoring list and is currently ranked No. 10 with 1,266 points. In his 76-game collegiate career, he averaged 16.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game over his three-year career. Averaging double figures in points in each of his three seasons, he was an extremely efficient player, as he converted 72.0 percent of his free throw attempts and a then-school-record 54.2 percent of his shots during his career. The field goal record stood for nine years and still ranks among the top-five in school history.
At Columbia, Dotson was also a star in the classroom. He was named to the Dean's List during all six of his semesters on Morningside Heights. Following his graduation in 1970, Dotson turned down professional opportunities and instead chose to attend Oxford University, earning Rhodes Scholar status. He followed in the path of former Princeton star Bill Bradley and continued his basketball career in Europe.
Dotson returned to the United States, tried out for the New York Knicks in 1972, and played two seasons professionally in the American Basketball Association and Eastern Basketball Association from 1972-74 before beginning his legal career. He graduated from Columbia's Law School in 1976 and then went on to serve as a prominent lawyer with the firm Shea & Gold. He also served as a member of the New York City Council for many years.
Dodson was twice inducted into Columbia's Hall of Fame, first as a member of the 1967-68 Ivy League champion men's basketball team and then as an individual in 2018.
"Heyward was one of the smartest, toughest individuals I have ever had the privilege of knowing," said Dotson's teammate Jonathan Schiller '69CC '73LAW and Chair Emeritus of Columbia's Board of Trustees. "He was eloquent, proud, and gracious for the opportunities he had earned and what he was able to accomplish as the result. We were fortunate to be with him in life."
Dodson passed away on Friday, May 1, 2020, at the age of 71.
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