George Dixon (football player)
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George Dixon played running back for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League from 1959 to 1965. He was a graduate of University of Bridgeport (Conn.)
Dixon played only 76 games in his injury shortened seven year career, all with the Alouettes, but he is remembered as one of their finest players. It must be recalled that the Alouettes did not have a winning season during his time, and they made the playoffs 5 of the 7 years, losing in the division semi-final in 4 of those years.
With former Verdun Shamcats and later Alouette General Manager Bob Geary blocking for him, Dixon amassed 5615 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 TDs against the Ottawa Rough Riders. He rushed for 100 yards in a game 24 times in his career.
Dixon will also forever be in the Alouettes, and CFL, record book for his 109 yard longest run from scrimmage, against the Ottawa Rough Riders, on September 2, 1963. He also set the Larks one game rushing record that day, with 235 yards.
His best season was 1962, when he rushed for 1,520 yards, was named an All East and All Canadian all star and won the CFL's Most Outstanding Player Award award. Next season was also a good one, with 1270 yards rushing and equal all star honours.
His great accomplishments have not gone unremembered. His uniform number, 28, has been retired by the Alouettes, and he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame on May 6, 1974.
Originally, Dixon was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 9th round (97th pick) of the 1959 college draft. His impressive 95 yard kickoff return for a touchdown on August 23, 1959, against the San Francisco 49ers in an exhibition game, was not enough to keep rookie head coach Vince Lombardi from cutting him. Dixon missed out on a chance to be part of one of the NFL's great dynasties, becoming a Canadian Football Hall of Fame member instead.
Later Dixon coached the Loyola College Warriors, of Montreal, to great and unexpected success. The following quote is taken from the Concordia University 2006 Sports Hall of Fame induction (Loyola merged with Sir George Williams University to create Concordia:)
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.
George Dixon died on August 6, 1990, in Montreal, at the age of 56, survived by his wife Carol.
