Sensabaugh Receives Brian Dawkins Lifetime Achievement Award
CLEMSON, S.C. — Former Clemson defensive back and eight-year NFL veteran Coty Sensabaugh received the Brian Dawkins Lifetime Achievement Award at Clemson's annual football banquet on Saturday evening.
Dabo Swinney has annually presented the honor to a former Clemson player who has consistently demonstrated the qualities of leadership, community service and others that are consistent with excellence since graduating from the Clemson program. Recipients must be out of school at least 10 years to qualify. Dawkins, who played 16 years in the NFL and was named to nine Pro Bowls and was a finalist for many public service awards, was the first recipient in 2013.
A native of Kingsport, Tenn., Sensabaugh arrived at Clemson in the fall of 2007 as an unheralded recruit. After redshirting the 2007 season, he became a consistent contributor in the secondary, playing 52 career games between 2008-11.
As a senior in 2011, he played 993 defensive snaps as a starting cornerback, still the most by a defensive player in Clemson history. He led the team with 13 pass breakups and was named as one of the team’s permanent captains, as his leadership contributed to Clemson winning its first ACC Championship in 20 years.
Sensabaugh was a fourth-round draft pick of the Tennessee Titans in the 2012 NFL Draft. He played eight seasons and 105 regular season games in his NFL career that spanned 2012-19.
Sensabaugh was known for accomplishments both on the gridiron and off over his career. In 2017, he was one of five NFL players to receive the Daily Point of Light Tribute Award, one of the most outstanding volunteer service awards in the philanthropic community. He was featured on ESPN for his partnership with Food for the Hungry, an organization that provides freshwater systems to communities in Haiti.
In July 2016, Sensabaugh married his wife, Dominique, a fellow Clemson graduate, in Atlanta. In lieu of gifts, the couple asked wedding guests to make a contribution to Soles4Souls, an organization that provides shoes to the needy. Instead of going on a honeymoon, the couple traveled to the Dominican Republic to distribute shoes to people in need. He has also raised money in support of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in honor of his late brother Jamaar, who died of cancer at age 16.
Sensabaugh has been active in his support of Clemson’s P.A.W. Journey program. He and Dominique also formed the Sensabaugh Family Foundation, which serves to improve vulnerable communities through financial development, domestic and global philanthropy and youth empowerment.
Brian Dawkins Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients
2013: Brian Dawkins, 1992-95
2014: Bill Smith, 1977-81
2015: Warren Forney, 1991-95
2016: Jerry Butler, 1975-78
2017: Jeff Davis, 1978-81
2018: Mark Richardson, 1979-82
2019: Michael Allen, 1995-98
2020: Michael Dean Perry, 1984-87
2021: Carl Martin, 1979-82
2022: Dexter Davis, 1988-90
2023: Patrick Sapp, 1992-95
2024: Levon Kirkland, 1987-91
2025: Coty Sensabaugh, 2007-11