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Tony Dixon (American football)

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Tony Dixon
No. 24
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (1979-06-18) June 18, 1979 (age 45)
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Reform (AL) Pickens Co.
College:Alabama
NFL draft:2001 / round: 2 / pick: 56
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Games played:56
Tackles:126
Interceptions:1
Sacks:6.0
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Tony Dixon (born June 18, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a safety for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was selected by the Cowboys in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft.

Early years

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Dixon attended Pickens County High School, where he was a two-way football player (running back and defensive back). He was a four-year starter and earned All-State honors two years in a row.

As a junior he registered 1,286 rushing yards, 17 touchdowns, 115 tackles and 6 interceptions (3 returned for touchdowns). As a senior, he posted 1,450 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns, 2 touchdown passes, one receiving touchdown, 6 sacks, 4 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries.

College career

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Dixon accepted a football scholarship from the University of Alabama. As a true freshman, he collected 22 tackles (2 for loss) and one sack, earning his first career start at free safety against the University of Tennessee. He had 6 tackles against Auburn University.

As a sophomore, he became a regular starter at strong safety, tallying 75 tackles (third on the team), 2 tackles for loss, one interception and one pass defensed. He had 11 tackles against Louisiana State University. He made 14 tackles against Mississippi State University.

As a junior, he split time between strong and free safety. He posted 65 tackles (second on the team), 2 tackles for loss, 4 passes defensed and one forced fumble. He had 13 tackles against the University of Florida.

As a senior, he started at free safety, finishing with 90 tackles (third on the team), one sack, 2 interceptions, 6 passes defensed and one forced fumble. He had 10 tackles, one interception and one pass defensed against the University of Mississippi. He made 17 tackles against the University of Tennessee. He made 11 tackles against Auburn University.

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+1⁄8 in
(1.86 m) 		213 lb
(97 kg) 		31+1⁄2 in
(0.80 m) 		10+1⁄4 in
(0.26 m)		 4.61 s 1.59 s 2.68 s 7.38 s 37.0 in
(0.94 m)		 9 ft 9 in
(2.97 m)		 17 reps
All values from NFL Combine[1]

Dallas Cowboys (first stint)

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The Dallas Cowboys traded down in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft,[2] sending to the Miami Dolphins the 52nd overall selection (Chris Chambers), in exchange for the 56th (used to select Dixon) and the 122nd (Markus Steele).[3] As a rookie, he played on the nickel defense.

In his second season, he started the last six games at strong safety, after Darren Woodson suffered a season-ending groin injury, making 49 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 quarterback pressures, 2 passes defensed, one interception and 16 special teams (third on the team).

In 2003, he was a special teams standout, leading the team with 20 tackles.[4]

In 2004, after Woodson missed the season due to a herniated disc, he split time with Lynn Scott at strong safety, registering seven starts and finding a niche as a blitzer, tying for fifth in the NFL among defensive backs with 3 sacks. He wasn't re-signed after the season and finished his Cowboys career with 90 tackles (56 solo), 6 sacks, 10 passes defensed, 49 special teams tackles and one interception.

Washington Redskins

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On June 18, 2005, signed a one-year contract as a free agent with the Washington Redskins.[5] He was released before the start of the season on August 23.[6]

Dallas Cowboys (second stint)

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On November 1, 2005, he was signed by the Dallas Cowboys to help improve the secondary depth.[7] On November 9, he was cut to make room for linebacker Quinton Caver. He was brought back for depth purposes on December 26. He wasn't re-signed at the end of the season.[8]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2001 DAL 8 0 11 9 2 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2002 DAL 16 8 50 40 10 2.0 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
2003 DAL 16 0 14 12 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0
2004 DAL 16 7 51 46 5 3.0 3 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 0 0
56 15 126 107 19 6.0 5 1 0 0 0 8 2 0 0 0

Playoffs

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2003 DAL 1 0 2 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 0 2 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

References

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  1. ^ "Tony Dixon College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  2. ^ "Tide's pipeline to pros continues". Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  3. ^ "2001 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  4. ^ "Dixon getting his shot with Woodson injured". Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  5. ^ "Dixon likely signed as insurance policy". June 18, 2005. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  6. ^ "Transactions". The New York Times. August 24, 2005. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  7. ^ "Cowboys release A-Train, put Singleton on I.R." November 2, 2005. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  8. ^ "Cowboys release Cundiff, re-sign Suisham for finale". December 26, 2005. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
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