Paul Dawkins

One collector is trying to find a single signature from every man who ever played for the Jazz — all 370 of them, from the 1974 New Orleans team to today. For many of them, this page is the only one on the internet. Here is Paul Dawkins: what he did on the floor, a few things most people never knew, and every card that carries his name. If you own something he signed — or you know who might — there is a note at the foot of this page.

As a boy in Saginaw, Michigan, Dawkins bent coat hangers into a rim, hung it in the family garage, and taught himself a sweet left-handed touch. At Northern Illinois he became the school's all-time scorer with 1,749 points and the 1979 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year. Drafted by the Utah Jazz in the tenth round, he played 57 NBA games and once scored 30 points in a single half against Portland, hitting 13 of 15 shots.

Turkey made him a star. Playing for Galatasaray from 1982 to 1990, he took Turkish citizenship, won three league championships, and averaged over 31 points across eight seasons. Dawkins died in March 2019 at 61.

HOW HE CAME & WENTUtah took him in the tenth round of 1979, 185th overall, and waived him a year later — then signed him again as a free agent in May 1981.

Full name

Paul Lamar Dawkins

Utah Jazz tenure

1979–80

Position

Guard

Born

1957

Died

2019

Height

6′5″ (196 cm)

Weight

190 lb (86 kg)

College

Northern Illinois

Drafted

1979