.jpg) 1964Topps CFL card of Dixon | |
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Position | Running back |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1933-10-19)October 19, 1933 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | August 6, 1990(1990-08-06) (aged 56) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Arnold[1] |
| NFL draft | 1959: 9th round, 97th overall pick |
| Career history | |
| 1959–1965 | Montreal Alouettes |
| Awards and highlights | |
Canadian Football Hall of Fame (Class of 1974) | |
George Washington Dixon (October 19, 1933 – August 6, 1990) was a professionalCanadian football player and aCanadian Interuniversity Sportfootball coach.
Dixon starred as arunning back for theMontreal Alouettes of theCanadian Football League (CFL), from1959 to1965.[2] While Dixon played in only 76 games during hisinjury-shortened, seven-year career, all with the Alouettes, he is remembered as one of their finest players. Dixon's jersey #28 is one of sevenretired by the Alouettes, and he was inducted into theCanadian Football Hall of Fame in 1974. In 2006, Dixon was voted to the Honour Roll of the CFL'sTop 50 players of the league's modern era by Canadian sports networkTSN.[3] After his playing career ended, Dixon was thehead coach of theLoyola College Warriors (nowConcordia Stingers)Canadian college football team in the late 1960s-early 1970s.
Dixon was born inNew Haven, Connecticut in 1934, and was a graduate of the nearbyArnold College, where he starred at running back.
Following graduation, Dixon was drafted by theGreen Bay Packers in the 9th round (97th pick) of the1959 NFL draft. His impressive 95 yard kickoff return for atouchdown on August 23, 1959, against theSan Francisco 49ers in an exhibition game, was not enough to keep rookie head coachVince Lombardi from cutting him. Dixon missed out on a chance to be part of one of theNFL's great dynasties, becoming aCanadian Football Hall of Fame member instead.
WithVerdun Shamcatsoffensive lineman, and laterAlouettes General Manager,Bob Geary blocking for him, Dixon amassed 5,615 yards on 896 carries, for an average of 6.3 yards a carry. He scored 59 touchdowns, 42 by rushing. His best day came on September 5, 1960, when he scored 4 touchdowns against theOttawa Rough Riders. Dixon rushed for 100 yards in a game 24 times in his career.
Although theAlouettes did not have a winning season during Dixon's time with the club, the Alouettes made the playoffs 5 of the 7 years, losing in theEastern Division semi-finals in 4 of those years. Dixon will also forever be in the Alouettes, and CFL, record book for his 109-yard longest run from scrimmage, against theOttawa Rough Riders, on September 2, 1963. He also set theLarks one game rushing record that day, with 235 yards.
Dixon's best season was in1962, when he rushed for 1,520 yards, was named anEastern Conference andCFL All-Star and won theCFL's Most Outstanding Player Award. The following,1963 CFL season was also a good one, with Dixon amassing 1,270 yards rushing and equalling hisAll-Star honours of the previous year.
Dixon's great accomplishments have not gone unremembered. His uniform number, 28, has been retired by the Alouettes, and he was inducted into theCanadian Football Hall of Fame on May 6, 1974. In November 2006, Dixon was voted to the Honour Roll of theCFL's top 50 players of the league's modern era by Canadian sports networkTSN.[3]
| Year | Team | Games | Rush | Yards | Y/R | Lg | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Montreal Alouettes | 7 | 38 | 301 | 7.9 | 77 | 1 |
| 1960 | Montreal Alouettes | 12 | 161 | 976 | 6.1 | 70 | 9 |
| 1961 | Montreal Alouettes | 11 | 138 | 806 | 5.8 | 50 | 7 |
| 1962 | Montreal Alouettes | 14 | 216 | 1520 | 7 | 75 | 11 |
| 1963 | Montreal Alouettes | 14 | 189 | 1270 | 6.7 | 109 | 10 |
| 1964 | Montreal Alouettes | 12 | 107 | 594 | 5.6 | 76 | 4 |
| 1965 | Montreal Alouettes | 6 | 47 | 148 | 3.1 | 14 | 0 |
| CFL Totals | 76 | 896 | 5615 | 6.3 | 109 | 42 |
See:https://www.statscrew.com/football/stats/p-dixongeo001
After his playing career ended, Dixon coached theLoyola College Warriors, of Montreal, to great and unexpected success. The following quote is taken from theConcordia University 2006 Sports Hall of Fame induction (Loyola merged withSir George Williams University to create Concordia in 1974:)
In 1968 when George Dixon took over as head coach of the Loyola Warriors football program, the Loyola of Montreal Athletic Program came out with an article examining the enormity of this challenge. It was titled "Football: Nowhere To Go But Up". The author reported that "Dixon never took on a tougher job." It went on to point out the new coach had inherited an 0-10 team with the worst record in Canada and the worst record in Loyola football history. Thirty-eight years later we pay tribute to the 1968 Loyola Warriors and their championship season. Dixon’s team posted a perfect 6-0 win–loss record to win the Eastern Division of the Central Canada Intercollegiate Football Conference. That year Loyola was the only undefeated team in the country. In six games they scored 201 points while allowing just 18. And only 10 of those points were scored on the impenetrable defence.[4]
Dixon died on August 6, 1990, inMontreal, at the age of 56.[5]