Hanford Dixon
Encyclopedia
Hanford Dixon is a former professional American football
cornerback
who played his entire career (1981-1989) for the Cleveland Browns
of the NFL
. Dixon made the Pro Bowl
three times, in 1986, 1987 and 1988. He was drafted by the Browns out of The University of Southern Mississippi
with the 22nd pick in the first round of the 1981 NFL Draft
. He also is credited with naming the Cleveland Browns "Dawg Pound
," the section of the stadium known for their antics during Browns home games at the old Municipal Stadium
inspired by Dixon's "barking" to teammates, especially fellow cornerback Frank Minnifield
.
Dixon and Minnifield were selected by NFL.com as the No 2 "Best Cornerback Tandem of All-Time." Dixon has been honored many times by his alma mater including being inducted into the M-Club Alumni Association Sports Hall of Fame in 1988 and being named to the school's Football Team of the Century. He became the seventh football member of the school's Legends Club joining Reggie Collier, Brett Favre, Ray Guy, Derrick Nix, Sammy Winder and Fred Cook.
Hanford Dixon is married and has two sons Kyle and Hanford Jr, and two daughters Merci and Hanna.
Dixon remains a visible presence on the football front in Cleveland
, as he is a football analyst for WOIO
-TV 19 (CBS
) in Cleveland, the radio color analyst for the Cleveland Gladiators arena football team. and the color analyst for the high school football game of the week on FS Ohio.
He manages his non-profit organization, Right Path Foundation, with his wife, Hikia Dixon, who is the Master Instructor and Black Belt Sensei along with executive director of www.rightpathmartialarts.com.
On March 24, 2011, Dixon was named the first head coach of the Lingerie Football League
's Cleveland Crush
expansion team, set to begin play in September of 2011 at Quicken Loans Arena
in downtown Cleveland
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...
cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
who played his entire career (1981-1989) for the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the NFL
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...
. Dixon made the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
three times, in 1986, 1987 and 1988. He was drafted by the Browns out of The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi, informally known as Southern Miss, is a large public research university located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States. It is situated north of Gulfport, Mississippi and northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana...
with the 22nd pick in the first round of the 1981 NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
. He also is credited with naming the Cleveland Browns "Dawg Pound
Dawg Pound
The Dawg Pound is the name of the bleacher section behind the east end zone in Cleveland Browns Stadium, the home field of the Cleveland Browns. It is known for its extremely zealous fan base.-Formation:...
," the section of the stadium known for their antics during Browns home games at the old Municipal Stadium
Cleveland Stadium
Cleveland Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In its final years, the stadium seated 74,438, for baseball and 81,000, for football. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football...
inspired by Dixon's "barking" to teammates, especially fellow cornerback Frank Minnifield
Frank Minnifield
Frank Minnifield is a former American football player who played defensive back for the Cleveland Browns from 1984-92.Minnifield attended Henry Clay High School in Lexington...
.
Dixon and Minnifield were selected by NFL.com as the No 2 "Best Cornerback Tandem of All-Time." Dixon has been honored many times by his alma mater including being inducted into the M-Club Alumni Association Sports Hall of Fame in 1988 and being named to the school's Football Team of the Century. He became the seventh football member of the school's Legends Club joining Reggie Collier, Brett Favre, Ray Guy, Derrick Nix, Sammy Winder and Fred Cook.
Hanford Dixon is married and has two sons Kyle and Hanford Jr, and two daughters Merci and Hanna.
Dixon remains a visible presence on the football front in Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, as he is a football analyst for WOIO
WOIO
WOIO, virtual channel 19 , is the CBS affiliate in Cleveland, Ohio. It is licensed to the nearby suburb of Shaker Heights. WOIO is owned by Raycom Media and its sister station to MyNetworkTV affiliate WUAB . The two stations share a studio facility in Cleveland and WOIO's transmitter is located in...
-TV 19 (CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
) in Cleveland, the radio color analyst for the Cleveland Gladiators arena football team. and the color analyst for the high school football game of the week on FS Ohio.
He manages his non-profit organization, Right Path Foundation, with his wife, Hikia Dixon, who is the Master Instructor and Black Belt Sensei along with executive director of www.rightpathmartialarts.com.
On March 24, 2011, Dixon was named the first head coach of the Lingerie Football League
Lingerie Football League
The Lingerie Football League is a women's 7-on-7 tackle American football league, created in 2009, with games played in the fall and winter at NBA, NFL, NHL and MLS arenas and stadiums. The league was founded by Mitch Mortaza...
's Cleveland Crush
Cleveland Crush
The Cleveland Crush is an expansion team in the Lingerie Football League set to begin play for the 2011-12 season. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the Crush is scheduled to play their home games at Quicken Loans Arena....
expansion team, set to begin play in September of 2011 at Quicken Loans Arena
Quicken Loans Arena
Quicken Loans Arena , is a multi-purpose arena, in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States....
in downtown Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...