Hall of Fame
Position: Defensive Back
Years: 1984-87
Place of Birth: Dallas, Texas
Date of Birth: Dec. 26, 1966
Place of Death: DeSoto, Texas
Date of Death: Aug. 1, 2020
Jersey Number: 29
Height: 5-11
Weight: 177
High School: Wilmer-Hutchins HS (Dallas, TX)
One of the greatest defensive backs in Oklahoma history, Rickey Dixon guided the Sooners to a national championship during a standout career in Norman. He becomes the 22nd player in school history to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
A consensus First Team All-American in 1987, Dixon was the recipient of the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in the nation after leading the Big Eight Conference with nine interceptions (a single-season school record). The two-time First Team All-Big Eight selection guided the Sooners to four consecutive conference titles and two wins in four Orange Bowl berths. As a sophomore, Dixon played a key role in Oklahoma’s 1985 national championship season, which culminated with a win over Penn State in the 1986 Orange Bowl. He was the Big Eight Defensive Player of the Week four times during his stellar 1987 season, and he intercepted two passes in the game that year between No. 1 Nebraska and No. 2 Oklahoma, which was billed as the “Game of the Century II.”
Dixon finished his career with 17 interceptions, a Big Eight Conference record that ranks as the second most in Oklahoma history. A member of the Big Eight All-Time All-Conference Team, he also tallied 170 tackles and 303 interception return yards while leading the Sooners to a 42-5-1 record during his four seasons. The Dallas native will join his coach, Barry Switzer, and teammates Brian Bosworth, Tony Casillas and Keith Jackson in the College Football Hall of Fame.
The fifth overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1988 NFL Draft, Dixon played five seasons for the Bengals before finishing his career with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1993. He helped the Bengals reach Super Bowl XXIII following the 1988 season.
Following his football career, Dixon became a motivational speaker for at-risk youth. He also owned a landscaping business, coached high school football and taught physical education at Red Oak High School in Texas. Dixon was diagnosed with ALS in 2013, and he passed away Aug. 1, 2020, at the age of 53
