North Carolina Central University

TRACK & FIELD

     CHARLOTTE, NC - Former Saint Augustine's College sprinter Michael Lawson has been inducted into the Division II Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame, established in 1996 to recognize the accomplishments of NCAA Division II track and field student-athletes.
     Lawson, the head coach for cross country and track and field at North Carolina Central University for the past 18 years, left a blazing trail in the track & field record books as a student-athlete at St. Augustine’s from 1977-81.
     After winning a state championship in the 100-meter dash and capturing several all-conference merits as a scholastic athlete at Durham (N.C.) High School, Lawson journeyed to cross-town Raleigh, N.C. to run his collegiate career for legendary track & field head coach George Williams.
     During his standout four-year St. Augustine’s tenure as an elite sprinter specializing in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and 4x100-meter relay, Lawson earned numerous All-America citations from both the NCAA and NAIA during both indoor and outdoor seasons, won several CIAA (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) and NAIA District Championship titles, and was a two-time NCAA National Champion in the 4x100-meter relay (1980 and 1981). Along the way, he helped St. Augustine’s win four consecutive CIAA indoor championships, three CIAA outdoor titles, and a seventh place team finish at the 1981 NCAA National Championships.
     A two-time qualifier for the U.S. Olympic Trials (1980 and 1984), Lawson was chosen as the St. Augustine’s College Most Outstanding Athlete of the Year as both a junior and senior (1980 and 1981), and collected the school’s Track M.V.P. honors during his final three seasons.
     Lawson posted collegiate personal-best times of 20.68 seconds in the 200-meter dash and 10.01 seconds in the 100-meter dash, which still stands as a St. Augustine’s record. He has also clocked a relay split time of 9.98 seconds.
     Following St. Augustine’s, Lawson ran professionally with the Philadelphia Pioneers. Among his accomplishments, he recorded a personal-best time of 20.02 seconds in the 200-meter dash.
     Lawson coached at Durham High School and Duke University before joining North Carolina Central University as its head coach for men’s and women’s cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field in 1989.
     During his award-winning, 18-year coaching slate at NCCU, Lawson has collected a host of conference and regional coach of the year honors. In that time, he has also conducted a track & field clinic in the Bahamas, served on the planning committee for the NCAA Division II Track & Field National Championships (1999-2003) and the Pan-Africa/USA International Meet (1994), and worked with the 1996 Atlanta Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games.