Rickey Dixon
| No. 29, 31 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Safety | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | December 26, 1966 Dallas, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | August 1, 2020 (aged 53) DeSoto, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 177 lb (80 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Wilmer-Hutchins (Dallas, Texas) | ||||||||
| College: | Oklahoma (1984–1987) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1988: 1st round, 5th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Ricky Dixon (December 26, 1966 – August 1, 2020) was an American professional football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, where he won the Jim Thorpe Award in 1987. Dixon was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 1988 NFL draft with the fifth overall pick. He played five seasons with the Bengals and one for the Los Angeles Raiders.
College career
A standout
A consensus
The defining game of Dixon's collegiate career was the 1987 contest against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Hyped as the "Game of the Century II", playing on the moniker given to the 1971 contest between Oklahoma and Nebraska, Nebraska was favored at home in Lincoln, boasting the #1 offense in the country.
The Sooners came in ranked #2 in the nation, and sporting the #1
Dixon finished his career with 170 total tackles and 17 interceptions (second only to Darrell Royal for the school record). During his senior year, he had nine interceptions for 232 yards which remain school records for the Sooners.
College statistics
| Season | UT | AT | TT | INT | PBU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 17 | 11 | 29 | 2-41 | 4 |
| 1985 | 20 | 4 | 29 | 3-28 | 1 |
| 1986 | 33 | 16 | 52 | 3-2 | 6 |
| 1987 | 42 | 13 | 60 | 9-232 | 12 |
| Totals | 112 | 44 | 170 | 17-303 | 23 |
Professional career
The Cincinnati Bengals selected Dixon in the first round with the fifth overall pick of the 1988 NFL draft.[1][2]
He had one interception during his first season with the Bengals. Although relegated to
NFL statistics
| Interception Stats | Defense Stats | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Games | INTs | Yards | TD | FF | FR | Yards | TD | Sacks | Tackles |
| 1988 | Cincinnati Bengals | 15 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 0 | * | * |
| 1989 | Cincinnati Bengals | 16 | 3 | 47 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | * | * |
| 1990 | Cincinnati Bengals | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | * | * |
| 1991 | Cincinnati Bengals | 15 | 2 | 62 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | * | * |
| 1992 | Cincinnati Bengals | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | * | * |
| 1993 | Los Angeles Raiders | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | * | * |
| Totals | 82 | 6 | 122 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 0 | * | * | |
* Tackle data unavailable before 2001
- Career statistics from Pro Football Reference
Personal life
After retiring from the NFL, Dixon coached for W.T White High School and Paul Quinn College, and retired from being a
Dixon was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2019 [4]
Dixon died on August 1, 2020, at the age of 53 in
Notes and references
- ^ Co-winner with Bennie Blades
- ^ "1988 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
- ^ "Rickey Dixon comes to terms with Cincinnati Bengals". New York Times. September 4, 1988.
- ^ "NFL Concussion Settlement". ESPN.com. ESPN The Magazine. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
- ^ "2019 College Football Hall of Fame Class". January 7, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
- ^ "Former Oklahoma star Rickey Dixon dies at 53 after battle with ALS". USA Today. August 1, 2020.