Antonio Dixon
Encyclopedia
Antonio Dixon is an American football
defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles
of the National Football League
(NFL). He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Washington Redskins
in 2009. He played college football
at the University of Miami
.
, and could not read until the sixth grade. His mother, Corenthia Dixon, was a single parent raising five children, including Dixon. His father, Frazier Hawkins, served 17 years in prison for drug trafficking
charges. He was released in April 2009 and now works as a personal trainer in a health club. Corenthia Dixon used drugs for two years, which led to Dixon and his siblings to live in foster care for a year. When Dixon was in the eighth grade, his family moved into an apartment. He got into fights as a child, got suspended, and eventually expelled from school while in eighth grade. Corenthia is now a cafeteria worker at a homeless shelter in Miami.
Dixon attended Booker T. Washington High School in Miami, Florida
. He started playing football
in the ninth grade, and he played as an offensive and defensive lineman. He graded out at better than 90 percent in his blocking assignments as a senior. On defense, Dixon had 62 tackles and 10.5 sacks in his senior year, with 8.0 sacks during his junior year. He was ranked the 19th player in Florida
by Rivals.com and was the 7th prep school prospect. By the time he finished high school, he weighed over 350 pounds.
in 2004, Dixon finished with 77 tackles, including 21 tackles for loss, which was a team-high. He also had 11.5 sacks, which was tied for first on the team, as Milford finished 11-1 that season. He had to take a Greyhound bus back and forth from New York to Miami because he could not afford plane tickets.
to play college football
over Florida
, Florida State
, Rutgers
and South Florida
. As a true freshman in 2005, he played in eight games and had seven tackles in key goal-line and short-yardage situations. In his sophomore season in 2006, he played in 10 games (one start
) and made 12 tackles, including two tackles for loss and a sack. As a junior in 2007, Dixon played in nine games with four starts and made 21 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a pass deflection. In his senior year in 2008, he played in 13 games with five starts and made 31 tackles, three tackles for loss, and one fumble recovery.
In August 2008, Dixon was hospitalized due to the effects of heat in Miami.
In his career at the University of Miami, Dixon made 71 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and a pass deflection. He also played in 40 games, ten of which he started.
During spring of 2009, Dixon received the Wilma Rudolph
Student Athlete Achievement Award along with five other college athletes. The award is given to college athletes who have overcome great personal, academic and emotional odds to achieve academic success.
Dixon graduated with a degree in liberal arts in May 2009, and became the first person in his family to graduate college.
, Dixon was signed by the Washington Redskins
. He was waived on September 5, 2009.
on September 6, 2009. Against the Chicago Bears
on November 22, 2009, Dixon blocked a crucial field goal by Bears kicker
Robbie Gould
, which led to a 24-20 victory for the Eagles. After tearing his triceps in a week four game against the San Francisco 49ers
on October 2, 2011, Dixon was placed on season-ending injured reserve
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL). He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
in 2009. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
.
Early years
Dixon grew up in at least six homeless shelters in Miami and Atlanta. He stuttered, had dyslexiaDyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
, and could not read until the sixth grade. His mother, Corenthia Dixon, was a single parent raising five children, including Dixon. His father, Frazier Hawkins, served 17 years in prison for drug trafficking
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
charges. He was released in April 2009 and now works as a personal trainer in a health club. Corenthia Dixon used drugs for two years, which led to Dixon and his siblings to live in foster care for a year. When Dixon was in the eighth grade, his family moved into an apartment. He got into fights as a child, got suspended, and eventually expelled from school while in eighth grade. Corenthia is now a cafeteria worker at a homeless shelter in Miami.
Dixon attended Booker T. Washington High School in Miami, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. He started playing football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
in the ninth grade, and he played as an offensive and defensive lineman. He graded out at better than 90 percent in his blocking assignments as a senior. On defense, Dixon had 62 tackles and 10.5 sacks in his senior year, with 8.0 sacks during his junior year. He was ranked the 19th player in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
by Rivals.com and was the 7th prep school prospect. By the time he finished high school, he weighed over 350 pounds.
Preparatory career
In his only year at Milford AcademyMilford Academy
Milford Academy is a post-secondary school founded in 1906 in Milford, Connecticut as Yale Preparatory School. The school is located since 2004 in New Berlin, New York...
in 2004, Dixon finished with 77 tackles, including 21 tackles for loss, which was a team-high. He also had 11.5 sacks, which was tied for first on the team, as Milford finished 11-1 that season. He had to take a Greyhound bus back and forth from New York to Miami because he could not afford plane tickets.
College career
Dixon chose to sign with the University of MiamiMiami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
to play college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
over Florida
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
, Florida State
Florida State Seminoles football
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
, Rutgers
Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represents Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision play...
and South Florida
South Florida Bulls football
The South Florida Bulls are a Division I FBS college football program that plays its home games in Tampa, Florida. The team began playing in 1997, holding its first team meeting under a shade tree as the school had no proper football facilities on campus...
. As a true freshman in 2005, he played in eight games and had seven tackles in key goal-line and short-yardage situations. In his sophomore season in 2006, he played in 10 games (one start
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
) and made 12 tackles, including two tackles for loss and a sack. As a junior in 2007, Dixon played in nine games with four starts and made 21 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a pass deflection. In his senior year in 2008, he played in 13 games with five starts and made 31 tackles, three tackles for loss, and one fumble recovery.
In August 2008, Dixon was hospitalized due to the effects of heat in Miami.
In his career at the University of Miami, Dixon made 71 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and a pass deflection. He also played in 40 games, ten of which he started.
During spring of 2009, Dixon received the Wilma Rudolph
Wilma Rudolph
Wilma Glodean Rudolph was an American athlete. Rudolph was considered the fastest woman in the world in the 1960s and competed in two Olympic Games, in 1956 and in 1960....
Student Athlete Achievement Award along with five other college athletes. The award is given to college athletes who have overcome great personal, academic and emotional odds to achieve academic success.
Dixon graduated with a degree in liberal arts in May 2009, and became the first person in his family to graduate college.
Washington Redskins
After being undrafted in the 2009 NFL Draft2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
, Dixon was signed by the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. He was waived on September 5, 2009.
Philadelphia Eagles
Dixon was claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on September 6, 2009. Against the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on November 22, 2009, Dixon blocked a crucial field goal by Bears kicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
Robbie Gould
Robbie Gould
Robert Paul "Robbie" Gould III is an American football placekicker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Penn State...
, which led to a 24-20 victory for the Eagles. After tearing his triceps in a week four game against the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
on October 2, 2011, Dixon was placed on season-ending injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
.