 Dixon in 2014 | |
| TCU Horned Frogs | |
|---|---|
| Position | Head coach |
| League | Big 12 Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1965-11-10)November 10, 1965 (age 59) Burbank, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Notre Dame (Los Angeles, California) |
| College | TCU (1984–1987) |
| NBA draft | 1987: 7th round, 150th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Washington Bullets |
| Playing career | 1987–1990 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Coaching career | 1989–present |
| Career history | |
| As a player: | |
| 1987–1988 | La Crosse Catbirds |
| 1989–1990 | Hawke's Bay Hawks |
| As a coach: | |
| 1989 | Te Aute College |
| 1989–1991 | LA Valley CC (assistant) |
| 1991–1992 | UC Santa Barbara (assistant) |
| 1992–1994 | Hawaii (assistant) |
| 1994–1998 | Northern Arizona (assistant) |
| 1998–1999 | Hawaii (assistant) |
| 1999–2003 | Pittsburgh (assistant) |
| 2003–2016 | Pittsburgh |
| 2016–present | TCU |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As coach:
| |
Stats atBasketball Reference  | |
Medals | |
James Patrick Dixon II[1] (born November 10, 1965) is an Americancollege basketball coach who is the head coach of theTCUHorned Frogs men's team, where he played college ball. He previously served as the head coach of theUniversity of Pittsburghmen's basketball team from 2003 through 2016.
In 2009, he was the head coach for theFIBA Under-19 2009gold-medal winningUnited States national basketball team for which he was named the 2009USA Basketball National Coach of the Year.[2] Dixon was namedBig East Coach of the Year in 2004,Naismith College Coach of the Year in 2009,Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year in 2010, and theSporting News National Coach of the Year award in 2011. Dixon playedcollege basketball atTexas Christian University, was selected by theWashington Bullets in the1987 NBA draft,[3] and played professionally with theContinental Basketball Association's Lacrosse Catbirds and forHawke's Bay Hawks of the New ZealandNational Basketball League.[4]
Dixon was born inLos Angeles County inBurbank, California, to Marge and Jim Dixon.[5][6] His father was an actor, screenwriter and producer.[5] Dixon played basketball atNotre Dame High inSherman Oaks, Los Angeles. As a freshmanpoint guard, he was only 5-foot-3-inch (1.60 m) and was among the smallest in his class, but he grew 11 inches (28 cm) and graduated as the tallest.[7] Dixon wanted to play college basketball at theUniversity of California, Santa Barbara, but theUCSB Gauchos' top recruiter, assistant coachBen Howland, decided not to sign him. He landed atTexas Christian University (TCU) instead.[7][8]
With theTCU Horned Frogs, Dixon led theSouthwest Conference in assists as a senior, when he earned all-conference honors and led the team to the1987 NCAA tournament.[6][9]
Dixon was selected in the seventh round of the1987 NBA draft by the Washington Bullets (known now as theWashington Wizards). He was cut early by the team. He considered using his finance degree for a job earning $20,000 annually, but instead played with theLa Crosse Catbirds in theContinental Basketball Association for $400 per week.[6][7] In 1989, he moved to New Zealand and played for theHawke's Bay Hawks in theNational Basketball League.[7][10] He played two seasons, earningAll-Star Five honors in 1989 and 1990.[10] His career ended in 1990 after he was injured playing in the Netherlands. He was accidentally kneed in the midsection while diving for a loose ball, and suffered a rupturedpancreas, a rare basketball injury. He spent 90 days in the hospital, unable to eat for weeks, and saw his weight drop by a quarter from 200 pounds (91 kg) to 150 (68).[1][10]
Dixon began his coaching career in 1989 as the head coach atTe Aute College, asecondary school in New Zealand, before serving as an assistant atLos Angeles Valley College from 1989 to 1991.[11] After his playing career ended, he got agraduate assistant position at UCSB with the help of Howland,[8] and later became an assistant coach at theUniversity of Hawaii.[11] Dixon then served as an assistant atNorthern Arizona University under Howland, who had become a head coach.[8] After a brief stint as an assistant atHawaii underRiley Wallace, Dixon was reunited with Howland at Pitt in 1999. He was promoted as Pittsburgh's head coach when Howland left forUCLA following the 2002–03 season.[12]
In 13 years at Pitt, Dixon had a record of 328–123. He won 188 games in his first seven seasons, tying the NCAA Division I record for most wins in the first seven seasons of a head coaching career. Previously, Dixon's 162nd win, which came in the2009 NCAA tournament overOklahoma State, broke theNCAA Division I record for most victories in the first six seasons as a head coach formerly held by formerNorth Carolina State coachEverett Case. He was awarded theNaismith College Coach of the Year honors following the 2008–09 season.[13][14]
Dixon won Big East Coach of the Year honors in 2004 for leading Pitt to a school-record 31 wins and the Big East regular season championship. He took Pitt to the final game of theBig East men's basketball tournament in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008, winning the 2008 Big East tournament Championship against No.1 seed Georgetown. He is Pitt's first and only head coach to guide the Panthers to seven consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and seven consecutive seasons of at least 20 overall wins and 10 league wins. In the NCAA tournament, Dixon led Pitt to the Sweet Sixteen in 2004 and 2007 and to the Elite Eight in 2009, a year that saw his Panthers earn their first-ever No.1 rankings in theAP poll andCoaches' Poll, their first-ever victories over a No.1 ranked team (UConn, twice), and their first ever No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament (East Region).[11]
His success at Pitt continued through the 2010 season, perhaps his best coaching performance to date. The Panthers tied for second place in the Big East and earned a No.2 seed in the Big East tournament, despite being picked to finish 9th in the conference preseason poll. Dixon guided Pitt to yet another NCAA Tournament appearance, their seventh in his first seven years as head coach, and was awarded both the Big East Coach of the Year andJim Phelan National Coach of the Year Awards by CollegeInsider.com.[15] He is the first and only head coach in Pitt's history to lead his team to seven consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. At the end of the 2010 season, Dixon is the winningest coach in Big East history with a current .721 winning percentage in eight seasons of league games (98–38). He also stands second on Pitt's all-time wins list, behind only the legendaryDoc Carlson.
On March 31, 2010, Pitt extended Dixon's contract by two years, through the 2017–18 season.[16]
On April 2, 2010, Dixon was named the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year by CollegeInsider.com.
On October 23, 2010, Dixon received national attention when he assisted in removing victims from a severe car accident in a Pittsburgh suburb.[17][18]
On December 22, 2010, Dixon won his 200th game with a 61–46 win overAmerican. With the victory, Dixon tied the all-time NCAA Division I record held byMark Few andRoy Williams for the fastest coach to earn 200 wins by achieving the mark in only eight seasons. The achievement of winning his first 200 out of 255 games also ranked Dixon among the all-time top-15 for the quickest coaches to achieve 200 victories in regards to total number of games played.[19]
On March 2, 2011, Dixon won his 214th game with a 66–50 win overSouth Florida. With the victory, Dixon broke the all-time NCAA record for the most wins in a coach's first eight seasons. Following the regular season, the Panthers received a Number 1 seed in the Southeast Region of the NCAA tournament, where the Panthers defeated 16th seedUNC Asheville. They were upset in the third round byButler University.
Dixon was named the 2010–11Sporting News National Coach of the Year.[20]
Outside of basketball, Dixon has been credited with a peripheral role in the Big East'sdecision to inviteTCU to become the conference's 17th member. Specifically, he suggested to TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte that the school pursue Big East membership during a conversation at the 2010TCU–Baylor football game.[21] TCU would end up going to theBig 12 Conference instead.
On March 23, 2013, Pitt would again extend Dixon's contract through the 2022–23 season.[22] The University of Pittsburgh moved to theAtlantic Coast Conference following the 2012–13 season with Dixon finishing atop the all-time list of head coaches for best conference winning percentage (.658, combined conference regular season and conference tournament games) inBig East Conference history.[22]
On March 21, 2016, Dixon accepted the head coaching position at his alma mater.[23] In his first season in Fort Worth, he led the Horned Frogs to their best Big 12 conference record (6–12) since joining the league in 2012–13, their first-ever program win over a #1-ranked team, their first Big 12 Tournament semifinal game, and the NIT championship.[citation needed] In2017–18, the school reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 20 years.The following season, Dixon coached them to their third straight 20-win season.[24] The Horned Frogs continued a series of program firsts under Dixon, including winning a game in the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years for the first time and making three consecutive Tournaments from 2022 to 2024.
Dixon became the head coach of theUnited States under-19 men's national basketball team in 2009. That summer, he led the United States to its firstgold medal in 18 years in the2009FIBAUnder-19 World Championship held inAuckland, New Zealand.[25][26] For this accomplishment, Dixon was later named USA Basketball Coach of the Year.[2]
Dixon is a member of theScreen Actors Guild. He starred in various commercials as a child and into his early twenties, including ads forVolvo,Rice Krispies,Mattel andBud Light.[6]
Dixon has 2 sisters: Julie and Maggie.Maggie died from heart conditions in 2006 at the age of 28. She was the coach forArmy at the time of her death. The basketball tournamentMaggie Dixon Classic is played in her honor.
Dixon is married to his wife Jacqueline, and they have a son, Jack, and a daughter, Shannon.[27]
