Dwayne Dixon

{{Short description|American football player and coach (born 1962)}}

{{Infobox NFL player

| name = Dwayne Dixon

| currentteam =

| number =

| position = Wide receiver

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1962|08|02}}

| birth_place = Gainesville, Florida, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 1

| weight_lbs = 205

| high_school = Santa Fe

| college = Florida

| undraftedyear = 1984

| pastteams =

Tampa Bay Buccaneers ({{NFL Year|1984}})
Washington Commandos (1987)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers ({{NFL Year|1987}})
Detroit Drive ({{AFL Year|1988|1991}})

| pastcoaching =

Florida (1990–2004)
AHC/WR/ST/PGC
NC State (2005–2006)
Wide receivers coach
Ohio (2007–2023)
Wide receivers coach

|highlights=

AFL Ironman of the Year (1988)
2× First-team All-Arena (1987, 1988)
AFL's 10th Anniversary Team (1996)
Arena Football Hall of Fame
First-team All-SEC (1983)
University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame

}}

Dwayne Keith Dixon (born August 2, 1962) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) and Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators, and thereafter, played professionally for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL, and the Washington Commandos and Detroit Drive of the AFL. Dixon has been a college football coach since 1990.

Early life

Dixon was born in Gainesville, Florida in 1962.Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DixoDw20.htm Dwayne Dixon]. Retrieved July 3, 2010. He attended Santa Fe High School in Alachua, Florida,databaseFootball.com, Players, {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20100219170956/http://databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=DIXONDWA01 Dwayne Dixon]}}. Retrieved June 2, 2010. where he was a standout prep football player for the Santa Fe Raiders high school football team.

College career

Dixon accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in nearby Gainesville, where he was a wide receiver for coach Charley Pell's Gators from 1980 to 1983.[http://web.gatorzone.com/football/media/2011/media_guide.pdf 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402035222/http://web.gatorzone.com/football/media/2011/media_guide.pdf |date=April 2, 2012 }}, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 87, 96, 103, 143–145, 148, 162, 173, 174–176, 180 (2011). Retrieved August 28, 2011. Dixon led the Gators with 589 receiving yards as junior in 1982, and again with 596 yards as a senior in 1983. As a senior, he was also a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection, an Associated Press honorable mention All-American, and the recipient of the Gators' Fergie Ferguson Award, recognizing the senior who displayed "outstanding leadership, character and courage."

Dixon graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice in 1985,OhioBobcats.com, Football, [http://www.ohiobobcats.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/dixon_dwayne00.html Dwayne Dixon profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100108091444/http://www.ohiobobcats.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/dixon_dwayne00.html |date=January 8, 2010 }}. Retrieved March 21, 2011. and he was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1997.F Club, Hall of Fame, [http://www.gatorfclub.org/hall-of-fame/greats Gator Greats]. Retrieved December 14, 2014.GatorZone.com, Football History, 2004 Roster, [http://web.gatorzone.com/football/bios.php?year=2004&staff=dixon Dwayne Dixon] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402034834/http://web.gatorzone.com/football/bios.php?year=2004&staff=dixon |date=April 2, 2012 }}. Retrieved July 23, 2011.

Professional career

Dixon was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 1984, but he saw little action with the Buccaneers during the {{NFL Year|1984}} season.National Football League, Historical Players, [http://www.nfl.com/players/dwaynedixon/profile?id=DIX127782 Dwayne Dixon]. Retrieved June 2, 2010. The Buccaneers re-signed him as a free agent in {{NFL Year|1987}}, but again he received little playing time. Dixon also played for the Washington Commandos and Detroit Drive of the Arena Football League for five seasons from {{AFL Year|1987}} to {{AFL Year|1991}}, and he accumulated 188 receptions and over 2,300 receiving yards with the Commandos and Drive.Arenafan.com, Players, [http://www.arenafan.com/players/?page=players&player=426 Dwayne Dixon]. Retrieved March 21, 2011.

Coaching career

In 1990, Dixon returned to his alma mater to become the wide receivers coach for the Florida Gators under head coach Steve Spurrier, a position that he continued to hold under Spurrier's successor, Ron Zook.2001 Florida Gators Football Media Guide, Coaches, [http://www.gatorzone.com/football/media/2001/pdf/90-92.pdf Dwayne Dixon], University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 90–92 (2001). Retrieved March 21, 2011. During his fifteen years as a Florida assistant, the Gators won six SEC championships (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000) and one national championship (1996). He was a 2001 finalist for the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's top college football assistant coach. Dixon held the same position for the North Carolina State Wolfpack from 2005 to 2006, and he is currently the wide receivers coach for the Ohio University Bobcats.

Personal life

Dixon is married and has two children.

References

Bibliography

Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). {{ISBN|0-7948-2298-3}}.
Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). {{ISBN|0-9650782-1-3}}.
Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). {{ISBN|1-58261-514-4}}.
McCarthy, Kevin M., [https://books.google.com/books?id=_Tk-IQepI6cC Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football], Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). {{ISBN|978-0-7385-0559-6}}.
Nash, Noel, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). {{ISBN|1-57167-196-X}}.