National Football Foundation

One of college football's most exciting players, Oregon's Dennis Dixon successfully balances academic excellence with the pressure of being a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender this season.

A Sociology major, with a minor in Communication Studies, Dixon is a two-time Academic All Pac-10 selection on track to graduate this December. He has recorded a team-record 11 terms with a 3.0 grade point average or better and has earned a 3.5-plus GPA during six of those quarters. Dixon played for College Football Hall of Fame coach Mike Bellotti. 

Currently ranking fourth in the nation in completion percentage (69.35) and amassing more than 300 yards of total offense per game, the dual-threat Dixon finds himself in the national spotlight as the leader of the fifth-ranked Ducks. He has already been named Pac-10 Player of the Week twice this season, completing 138 passes for 1,728 yards and 16 touchdowns. Dixon was also named USA Today Player of the Week after a key win over Michigan on Sept. 8, 2007. He has thrown for nearly 5,000 yards during his career and is on pace to best Reggie Ogburn for the most yards rushed by an Oregon quarterback. 

A multi-sport standout, the San Leandro, Calif. native was drafted in the fifth round of the Amateur Baseball Draft by Atlanta and spent much of last summer playing in the Braves' minor league system. Despite his busy schedule, he still finds time to participate in local elementary school outreach programs and several other community service activities through Life Skills. 

Dixon is the second Duck named an NFF National Scholar-Athlete, joining William Musgrave (1990). Dixon was selected in the fifth round (156th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers and appeared in 24 games for the Steelers from 2008-11, completing 35-of-59 passes for 402 yards and a touchdown. From 2012-14, he appeared on the rosters of the Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals. 

After retiring from the NFL, Dixon founded DIxonFit, a training program and service in Beaverton, Oregon. He also coaches and trains quarterbacks in the Pacific Northwest.