Dwayne Dixon
Encyclopedia
Dwayne Keith Dixon is a former American college and professional football
player who was a wide receiver
in the National Football League
(NFL) and Arena Football League. He played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, played professionally for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
of the NFL, and the Washington Commandos
and Detroit Drive of the Arena Football League. Dixon has been a college football coach since 1990.
in 1962. He attended Santa Fe High School in Alachua, Florida
, where he was a standout prep football player for the Santa Fe Raiders high school football
team.
to attend the University of Florida in nearby Gainesville, where he was a wide receiver for coach Charley Pell
's Florida Gators football
team from 1980 to 1983. 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, and he was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1997.
in , 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 to , and he accumulated 188 reception
s and over 2,300 receiving yards with the Commandos and Drive.
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
. During his eleven years as a Florida assistant, the Gators won four SEC championships (1994, 1995, 1996
, 2000
) and one national championship (1996
). 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
.
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...
player who was a wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
in 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) and Arena Football League. 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...
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, and thereafter, played professionally for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
of the NFL, and the Washington Commandos
Washington Commandos
The Washington Commandos were an Arena football team that operated from 1987 to 1990.-Inaugural season :The Washington Commandos were a charter member of the Arena Football League, playing in the initial four-team "demonstration season" of 1987....
and Detroit Drive of the Arena Football League. Dixon has been a college football coach since 1990.
Early life
Dixon was born in Gainesville, FloridaGainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
in 1962. He attended Santa Fe High School in Alachua, Florida
Alachua, Florida
Alachua is a city in Alachua County, Florida, United States. According to 2006 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city's population was 7,554. The city is part of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is home to 243,985 people....
, where he was a standout prep football player for the Santa Fe Raiders high school 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....
team.
College career
Dixon received an athletic scholarshipAthletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Florida in nearby Gainesville, where he was a wide receiver for coach Charley Pell
Charley Pell
Charles Byron "Charley" Pell was an American college football player and coach. Pell was an Alabama native and an alumnus of the University of Alabama, where he played college football. He is most notably remembered as the head coach of the Clemson University and the University of Florida...
's Florida Gators football
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...
team from 1980 to 1983. Dixon led the Gators with 589 receiving yards as junior
Junior (education)
"Junior" is a term used in the United States to describe a student in their 3rd year of study . A Junior is considered an upperclassman...
in 1982, and again with 596 yards as a senior
Senior (education)
Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...
in 1983. As a senior, he was also a first-team All-Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) selection, an Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
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
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in criminal justice in 1985, and he was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1997.
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 season. The Buccaneers re-signed him as a free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in , 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 to , and he accumulated 188 reception
Reception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
s and over 2,300 receiving yards with the Commandos and Drive.
Coaching career
In 1994, Dixon returned to his alma materAlma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
to become the wide receivers coach
Wide receivers coach
A wide receivers coach is a coach in charge of the wide receivers in gridiron football. The wide receivers coach typically operates under a team's offensive coordinator. This coach also typically resides in the coach's box on gameday, often accompanied by or in place of the offensive coordinator....
for the Florida Gators under head coach Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...
, a position that he continued to hold under Spurrier's successor, Ron Zook
Ron Zook
Ron Zook is a former American football coach and former player. He served as the head football coach at the University of Florida from 2002 to 2004 and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2005 to 2011. Zook is a native of Ohio and an alumnus of Miami University, where he...
. During his eleven years as a Florida assistant, the Gators won four SEC championships (1994, 1995, 1996
1996 Florida Gators football team
The 1996 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. This was the team's seventh season under head coach Steve Spurrier...
, 2000
2000 Florida Gators football team
September 30, 2000The Florida Gators came into Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi ranked third in the nation. The unranked Mississippi State Bulldogs ran for 351 yards, 172 yards and a touchdown for Dicenzo Miller, and 156 yards and a touchdown for Dontae Walker. Bulldogs quarterback...
) and one national championship (1996
1997 Sugar Bowl
The 1997 Sugar Bowl was the 63rd edition to the annual game. It featured the top ranked , and their heated rivals, the third ranked Florida Gators. It was the designated National Championship Game for the 1996-97 season by the Bowl Alliance. The match up was supposed to feature the top two teams...
). Dixon held the same position for the North Carolina State Wolfpack
NC State Wolfpack football
The NC State Wolfpack football team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Wolfpack currently compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference....
from 2005 to 2006, and he is currently the wide receivers coach for the Ohio University Bobcats
Ohio Bobcats football
The Ohio Bobcats football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports program of Ohio University. The team represents the university as a member of the Mid-American Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, playing at the Division 1 Bowl Subdivision level...
.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1980–1989
- Florida Gators football, 1990–1999
- History of the Tampa Bay BuccaneersHistory of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers-John McKay and early frustration :The Buccaneers joined the NFL as members of the AFC West in 1976. The following year, they were moved to the NFC Central, while the other 1976 expansion team, the Seattle Seahawks, switched conferences with Tampa Bay and joined the AFC West...
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of University of Florida alumni
- Ohio BobcatsOhio BobcatsOhio University features 16 varsity sports teams called the Bobcats. The Bobcats compete in the Mid-American Conference in all sports. The Bobcats were a charter member of the Mid-American Conference in 1946 and are the only team still in the conference from the original 5 team league that...