Chris Dixon (American football)

Chris Dixon

Cactus Shadows Falcons
Position:	Head coach
Personal information
Born:	(1981-11-15) November 15, 1981 (age 42) Oakland, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school:	Richmond (CA)
College:	Contra Costa (2000–2001) Humboldt State (2002–2003)
Undrafted:	2003
Career history
As a player:
Oakland Vipers (2003) Eastside Hawks (2004) Black Hills Red Dogs (2005) Billings Mavericks / Outlaws (2005–2010) Sioux Falls Storm (2011–2012) Orlando Predators (2013) New Orleans VooDoo (2013) Sioux Falls Storm (2014) Tampa Bay Storm (2014) Texas Revolution (2017) Sioux Falls Storm (2019) Arizona Rattlers (2023)
As a coach:
Billings Senior (MT) (2006–2007) Coaching assistant Billings Wolves (2015–2016) Head coach Shepherd (MT) (2019–2020) Head coach Arizona Rattlers (2022) Quarterbacks/running backs coach Cactus Shadows (AZ) (2022–present) Head coach
Career highlights and awards
As a player 6× United Bowl champion (2009–2012, 2014, 2019) 4× United Bowl MVP (2009, 2010, 2011, 2014) Indoor Bowl champion (2006) Champions Bowl champion (2017) NAFL national champion (2004) NAFL National Championship MVP (2004) NWFL champion (2004) 3× IFL Most Valuable Player (2009, 2011, 2012) 4× IFL Offensive Player of the Year (2009, 2011, 2012, 2014) UIF Most Valuable Player (2008) UIF Offensive Player of the Year (2008) NWFL Rookie of the Year (2004) 4× First-team All-IFL (2009–2012) Second-team All-IFL (2014) 2× UIF Western All-Star (2007, 2008) First-team All-NAFL (2004) First-team All-NWFL (2004) Second-team All-GNAC (2003) IFL Hall of Fame (2015) As a coach Montana Class B – Eastern champion (2020)
Career Arena statistics
Comp-Att: 111–182 Passing Yards: 1,517 TD-INT: 30–8 Rushing Yards: 230 Rushing TDs: 10
Player stats at ArenaFan.com

Christopher Dixon II (born November 15, 1981) is a former professional indoor football quarterback who currently serves as the head coach for Cactus Shadows High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. He ended his long playing career with a stint for the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League (AFL) before returning to the Sioux Falls Storm near the end of their 2019 season. Dixon attended Contra Costa College for two years before attending Humboldt State University, where he was an all-conference player.

After failing to be drafted, Dixon played semi-professional outdoor football before becoming an indoor football player. In 2005, he made his professional debut with the Black Hills Red Dogs, playing both quarterback and wide receiver. Upon his release, Dixon signed with the Billings Mavericks, where he would play for 5 seasons, winning 3 championships and throwing 369 touchdowns. Upon the folding of the Billings franchise, Dixon signed with the Sioux Falls Storm, where he won two championships in as many seasons. In 2012, Dixon signed with the Orlando Predators, it was the first time in Dixon's career that he played arena football instead of indoor football.

Dixon is considered the greatest indoor football quarterback of all time, winning six championships, as well as the first indoor football player to throw for 500 career touchdowns. ^[1] He was inducted into the Indoor Football League Hall of Fame in 2015.

College career

Dixon attended Contra Costa College for two years before attending Humboldt State University for his final two years of school. ^[2]

Professional career

Oakland Vipers

Dixon played for the Oakland Vipers of the Golden State Amateur Football League (GSAFL) for a single season in 2003, and he held the record for the most passing yards in a single game (471) as of 2005. ^[3]

Eastside Hawks

Dixon began playing indoor football when he signed with the Eastside Hawks, who at the time was playing semi-professional in the Northwest Football League (NWFL). ^[3] He led the Hawks to an NWFL Championship, allowing them to enter the North American Football League (NAFL) national playoffs where they won the NAFL National Championship. ^{[4] [5]} Dixon won Championship Game MVP and NWFL Rookie of the Year honors. ^[3]

Black Hills Red Dogs

In 2005, Dixon signed with the Black Hills Red Dogs of United Indoor Football. While with the Red Dogs, Dixon played quarterback, receiver, and defensive back, completing 59 of 114 passes for 493 yards with five touchdowns, while also having 12 receptions for 202 yards and three touchdowns. After starting the season 0–7, however, Dixon asked to be released from the team due to family affairs. ^[6]

Billings Mavericks / Outlaws

Dixon quickly signed with the Billings Mavericks of the National Indoor Football League (NIFL), where he would split time with Bob Bees at quarterback during the remainder of the 2005 season. ^[2] Dixon led the Outlaws to three championships (2006, 2009 & 2010) throughout his five seasons with the team. ^[7]

Sioux Falls Storm

In 2012, Dixon threw his 500th career touchdown pass, when he hit James Terry with a 42-yard pass during a May 19 game against the Green Bay Blizzard. ^[7] With his 500th touchdown, Dixon became the 10th player to throw for a 500th touchdown at any professional level.

Orlando Predators

Dixon has signed with the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League for the 2013 season. ^[8] Dixon was named the backup quarterback to Kyle Rowley to start the season. In the Predators first game, Dixon appeared in one play, a zone read play near the goalline, where Dixon was tackled for a 1-yard loss. Dixon didn't play again until the Predators' Week 3 game against the Philadelphia Soul. Dixon came in to replace the struggling Rowley, and completed 9 of 13 passes for 120-yards. Dixon also had 2 touchdown passes and one interception against the Soul. ^[9] Dixon was released in late May.

New Orleans VooDoo

On May 30, 2013, Dixon was assigned to the New Orleans VooDoo. ^[10] In Dixon's first game action with the VooDoo, he replaced starter Kurt Rocco, who was struggling against the San Antonio Talons' pass-rush. Dixon could evade defenders, running for 66 yards, and did not get sacked once. Dixon took over trailing 21–6 and led the VooDoo to a 56–53 loss after he was tripped up as he was attempting to make a pass on the final play of the game. ^[11] Dixon's playing style caught the attention of many in the league. Dixon is one of the few players to ever play arena football out of the shotgun. ^[12] Dixon's play helped the VooDoo fight to get back into the playoff picture for 2013. ^[13]

Sioux Falls Storm (second stint)

On January 6, 2014, it was announced that Dixon would be returning to the Storm, citing his desire to graduate from Augustana College and be close to his family as his reasons for return. ^[14] After the 2014 season, Dixon announced his retirement as a player. ^{[1] [15]}

Sioux Falls Storm (third stint)

After making it to their 17th straight playoff appearance, the Storm signed Dixon for the 2019 IFL playoffs. ^[16] The Storm would go on to win the 2019 United Bowl, making it Dixon's ninth championship of his career.

Arizona Rattlers

On March 30, 2023, following quarterback Drew Powell being placed on short-term injured reserve, it was announced that Dixon was signed to the Arizona Rattlers. ^[17]

IFL career statistics

Legend
	IFL MVP & OPOY
	IFL Offensive Player of the Year
	United Bowl MVP
	Won the United Bowl
	IFL record
	Led the league
Bold	Career best

Regular season

Year	Team	Games			Passing							Rushing
		GP	GS	Record	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	TD
2009	BIL	14	14	12–2	209	292	71.6	2,509	69	7	127.13	97	452	12
2010	BIL	13	13	12–1	214	308	69.5	2,040	63	7	117.70	104	543	12
2011	SFS	14	14	13–1	224	332	67.5	2,856	74	10	121.19	94	448	21
2012	SFS	14	14	14–0	268	363	73.8	3,321	67	7	133.28	--	711	30
2014	SFS	14	14	13–1	215	346	62.1	2,390	54	6	114.44	106	442	17
2023	ARI	0	0	—	DNP
IFL career		69	69	64–5	1,130	1,641	68.9	13,116	327	37	122.96	N/A	2,596	92

Postseason

Year	Team	Games			Passing							Rushing
		GP	GS	Record	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	TD
2009	Billings	3	3	3–0	30	61	49.2	362	11	1	100.55	22	146	4
2010	Billings	4	4	4–0	70	100	70.0	692	19	1	124.67	32	193	5
2011	Sioux Falls	3	3	3–0	31	47	--	384	8	0	--	0	87	3
2012	Sioux Falls	1	1	1–0	19	23	--	278	8	0	--
2014	Sioux Falls
2019	Sioux Falls	0	0	—	DNP

United Bowl

Year	UB	Team	Opp.	Passing							Rushing			Result
				Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	TD
2009	I	Billings	RiverCity	14	26	53.9	162	5	1	--	9	45	1	W 71–62
2010	II	Billings	Sioux Falls	17	25	68.0	153	2	2	--	13	50	2	W 43–34
2011	III	Sioux Falls	Tri-Cities
2012	IV	Sioux Falls	Tri-Cities
2014	VI	Sioux Falls	Nebraska	14	22	63.6	157	6	0	--	--	--	2	W 63–46
2019	XI	Sioux Falls	Arizona	DNP										W 56–53

Coaching career

Billings Senior HS

In 2006 and 2007, Dixon coached at Billings Senior High School under head coach Mark Sulser. ^[18]

Billings Wolves

In late July 2014, the Billings Wolves of the Indoor Football League announced they had signed Dixon as head coach for their upcoming inaugural season. ^{[1] [15]}

Shepherd HS

Before the 2019 season, Dixon was hired as the head coach of the Shepherd High School in Shepherd, Montana. ^[18]

Cactus Shadows HS

In July 2022, Cactus Shadows High School in Scottsdale, AZ announced they had selected Coach Dixon to lead their football program. ^[19] His first two seasons with the Falcons ended with a 4–6 record.

Head coaching record

Professional

League	Team	Year	Regular season				Postseason
			Won	Lost	Win %	Finish	Won	Lost	Win %	Result
IFL	BIL	2015	5	9	.357	4th in Intense	0	0	–
IFL	BIL	2016	8	8	.500	2nd in Intense	0	1	.000	Lost to Nebraska Danger in Intense Conference Wild Card Game
BIL totals			13	17	.433		0	1	.000
IFL totals			13	17	.433		0	1	.000
Career totals			13	17	.433		0	1	.000

High school

Year	School	Record	Titles
2019	Shepherd Mustangs	4–5
2020	Shepherd Mustangs	4–4	B – Eastern champions
Shepherd totals		8–9
2022	Cactus Shadows Falcons	4–6
2023	Cactus Shadows Falcons	4–6
Cactus Shadows totals		8–12
Career totals		16–21

Personal life

Dixon's oldest son Chishon played basketball at Montana State Billings before transferring to Montana Tech. His son Donivan plays for Cactus Shadows High School as the starting quarterback.

References

1. Welsch, Jeff (July 31, 2014). "Dixon ready to take IFL by storm as coach". Billings Gazette . Billings, MT . Retrieved August 2, 2014.
2. Joe Kusek (May 20, 2005). "Mavericks turn to new QB for spark". Billings Gazette. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
3. "Red Dogs sign pair of QBs; season starts Saturday". Rapid City Journal. March 15, 2005. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
4. Fisher, Darrell. "Hawks win back to back NWFL Championships". community.digitalsports.com. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
5. "2004 NAFL National Champions....EASTSIDE HAWKS". www.community.digitalsports.com. Digital Sports. November 18, 2004. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
6. "Red Dogs say Goodbye to QB/WR Chris Dixon". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. May 19, 2005. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
7. Ryan Minch (May 30, 2012). "Dixon etches name in record books with 500th career TD pass". Billings Gazette. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
8. Brendan Sonnone (November 19, 2012). "Chance of Chris Leak returning to Preds appears unlikely". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
9. J.C. Carnahan (April 6, 2013). "Host Predators walloped by Philadelphia 61–33". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
10. Rachel Whittaker (May 31, 2013). "New Orleans VooDoo acquires QB Chris Dixon and continues homestand Saturday against Cleveland". www.nola.com. NOLA Media Group. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
11. Gary Estwick (June 30, 2013). "VooDoo's Pat O'Hara noncommittal on naming starting QB". www.theadvocate.com. Capital City Press LLC. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
12. Nick Krueger (July 9, 2013). "VooDoo QB Chris Dixon stands tall, defies the odds". www.sportsnola.com. LeSEA Broadcasting. Archived from the original on August 20, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
13. Richard Obert (July 11, 2013). "Rattlers will have to be ready for VooDoo dual-threat QB Chris Dixon out of the shotgun". www.azcentral.com. Gannett. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
14. "Quarterback Chris Dixon returning to Storm". Argus Leader . Gannett. January 6, 2014. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
15. "Billings Wolves name Chris Dixon head coach". Billings Gazette . Billings, MT. July 31, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
16. "Dixon Returns to the Storm for the IFL Playoffs". dakotanewsnow.com. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
17. "RATTLERS PLACE POWELL ON IR, SIGN QB CHRIS DIXON". Arizona Rattlers. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
18. Bofinger, Alec. "Indoor Football legend Chris Dixon taking the reins at Shepherd". montanasports.com. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
19. "CACTUS SHADOWS HIGH SCHOOL ANNOUNCED NEW HEAD FOOTBALL COACH". AZ Ed News . Cave Creek, AZ. June 7, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2022.

External links

• Sioux Falls Storm profile