Dixon in training camp in 2009.
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| Minnesota Vikings | |||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive line coach | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1984-09-16) September 16, 1984 (age 39) Rome, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 295 lb (134 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Lindale (GA) Pepperell | ||||||||
| College: | Hampton | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2008 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| As a coach: | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR · CFL.ca (archive) | |||||||||
Marcus Dwayne Dixon (born September 16, 1984) is an American football coach and a former defensive end in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He is the defensive line coach for the Minnesota Vikings. Dixon was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college footballatHampton University.
Dixon is also known for a 2003 court case in which, whilst still at high school, he was convicted of statutory rape and aggravated child molestation. The latter charge was later overturned by the Georgia Supreme Court.[1][2]
Dixon attended Pepperell High School, where he competed in football, basketball and track. As a junior, he registered 98 tackles (12 for loss), 3 sacks and 7 passes defensed, receiving first-team All-area honors. He also placed third in the regional shot put and discus.
As a senior, Dixon attempted to play in the season opener with a chip bone in his left knee, but he suffered a setback. On September 17, he underwent knee surgery and was not able to continue playing football during his recovery process.
Dixon was a grade A student and excelled on the football field to the point where he had been offered a full scholarshipatVanderbilt University, which he was unable to undertake due to his subsequent imprisonment.[3]
Upon his release from prison, Dixon accepted a football scholarship from Division I-AA Hampton UniversityinHampton, Virginia.[4] As a true freshman, he appeared in all 12 games, starting 6 of the last 7 contests. He had 38 tackles (seventh on the team) and 9 tackles for loss (fifth on the team).
As a sophomore, Dixon started 9 out of 10 games, collecting 33 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 7 tackles for loss and one interception.
As a junior, he started in all 11 games playing at defensive end and defensive tackle, while making 25 tackles, 4 sacks (third on the team) and 5.5 tackles for loss.
As a senior, Dixon posted 58 tackles (third on the team), 5 sacks (tied for the team lead), 8 quarterback hurries, 16 tackles for loss (led the team), 2 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one block kick. In the season opener against Morgan State University, he tallied 9 tackles (2.5 for loss), one sack and had a 13-yard touchdown reception as a tight end.
In four seasons with the Pirates, Dixon finished with 154 tackles and 11.5 sacks. He was a three-time captain, an All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) selection in his last two years and contributed to 3 MEAC championships.
On April 27, 2008, Dixon signed a three-year, $1.1 million deal with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent. He was slowed with groin and abdominal injuries, only playing in the last preseason game. He was waived on August 30.
In 2009, Dixon was slowed with a back injury during the preseason. He was released on September 5 and signed to the practice squad on September 7.
In 2010, Dixon saw limited playing time during preseason. He was released on September 4, 2010.[5]
On September 5, 2010, Dixon was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets.[6] He was active in 3 games with one start, making 4 tackles and one sack.
An exclusive rights free agent, Dixon was signed to a one-year contract on January 26, 2011.[7] He appeared in 16 games with 3 starts, posting 16 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one pass defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery during the season.
Dixon was released on September 1, 2012.[8] He was re-signed to the active roster on September 4.[9] He appeared in 3 games, before being released on September 24.[10] In his time with the Jets, he played in 22 games (4 starts), registering 21 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one pass defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
On February 9, 2013, Dixon was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs.[11] He was cut on August 31.[12]
On January 3, 2014, Dixon was signed to a futures contract with the Tennessee Titans.[13] He was released during final cuts on August 29.[14]
On October 20, 2014, Dixon was signed to the BC Lions practice roster in the Canadian Football League.[15] He made his CFL debut in the final game of the regular season against the Calgary Stampeders.[16] He was re-signed on March 2, 2015. He retired on April 30, 2015.[17]
In 2012, he was a volunteer defensive line coach at Shorter University. In 2015, he was offered a Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship by the Dallas Cowboys from May through the first week of September. In 2016, he was hired as an assistant football coach for the defensive line and tight endsatDarlington School.
In 2017, he was hired as the defensive line assistant football coach at Hampton University. In 2018, he added the role of Director of Player Development. In 2019, he was named the assistant football coach for defensive ends and also served as director of player development and recruiting coordinator.
The Los Angeles Rams hired Dixon as their assistant defensive line coach on February 23, 2021.[18] Dixon won his first Super Bowl championship when the Rams defeated the Cincinnati BengalsinSuper Bowl LVI.[19]
On February 18, 2022, Dixon was hired by the Denver Broncos to serve as the team's defensive line coach for the 2022 season.[20]
Kristie Brown alleged that on February 10, 2003, Dixon forced her to have sex, taking her virginity.[21] She has stated that contrary to Dixon's supporters' belief, she was never Dixon's girlfriend and although they shared classes, they barely knew each other. The jury acquitted Dixon of rape, battery, assault and false imprisonment, but because Brown was only 15 and Dixon 18 at the time of the incident found him guilty of statutory rape and aggravated child molestation. Because of this Dixon was convicted at the mandatory amount under Georgia law, 10 years imprisonment.[22] If he had been found guilty of rape, he would have faced a much less severe punishment.[22][23]
Supporters of Dixon including the NAACP and the Rev. Joseph Lowery's People's Agenda alleged the charges were racially motivated. The President of the Children's Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman called it a "Legal Lynching".[24]
The Georgia Supreme Court overturned Dixon's conviction for child molestation and he was released the same day, on May 3, 2004. The court let his conviction for misdemeanor statutory rape stand. After Dixon's release both he and Brown appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in an attempt to clarify their stories.[25]
When Marcus Dixon was sentenced to prison for aggravated child molestation and statutory rape, several members of the Floyd County jury were stunned that the former football star received a 15-year term, including 10 years without hope of parole. Dixon, an 18-year-old honor student with a full football scholarship to Vanderbilt University, had been accused of having forced sex with a 15-year-old girl in a Pepperell High School classroom trailer in February. He contended the sex was ...
The case of a black high school student sentenced to 10 years in prison for having sex with a white 15-year-old classmate in Georgia is igniting long-standing racial tensions in the deep south. As protesters gathered outside Georgia supreme court on Wednesday, holding candles and singing We Shall Overcome, Marcus Dixon's lawyers were arguing to appeal judges that his punishment was unusually harsh.
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NFL defensive line coaches
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