Ahmad D'shaad Dixon (born September 5, 1991) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

for the Philadelphia Stars of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL). He was selected by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

in the seventh round of the

2014 NFL Draft The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Baylor.

Early years

Dixon attended Midway High School in

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the ...

, where he registered more than 300 tackles in his prep career. As senior in 2010, he was named first-team All-District 16-4A and 1st Team All-State honors safety, for the third consecutive season after leading Midway High to a 9–3 record. He totaled 114 tackles, 10 tackles for losses, batted down 9 passes, 4 interceptions, and averaged 40 yards per kickoff return, including a long one of 87 yards. He played in the 2010

U.S. Army All-American Bowl The All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is played between all-star teams representing the eastern and western United S ...

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. He was also a standout

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete, and was part of a Midway

4x400 meter relay Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

squad that advanced to state track meet in 2008 and 2009. Capturing gold as a sophomore in 2008. Considered a four-star recruit by ''

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

'', he was rated as the 18th best

prospect in the nation. He accepted a football scholarship from Baylor over offers from

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New M ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

College career

Dixon as a true freshman played in 11 games (missed two with injuries) as a backup safety and on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

. The next year, he became a starter and switched from safety to the hybrid nickelback position, recording 89 tackles (fourth on team), 3 passes defensed and one interception. In 2012, he started 13 games, while registering 102 tackles (third on the team), 3 passes defensed, 2 interceptions and one sack. As a senior, he started 12 games (missed one because of a targeting penalty) playing mostly as a safety (one game at nickelback), finishing with 81 tackles (second on the team), 6 passes defensed and one interception. He received second-team All-Big 12 and second-team All-American honors at the end of the season.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Dixon was selected in the seventh round (248th overall) of the

by the

. After earning praise from

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Jason Garrett for his play in the preseason game against the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

where he registered 12 tackles, he was late for the walk-through practice before playing the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

, which led to the team suspending him for that game. Even though he made the initial regular season roster, after being late for a team meeting on September first, he was waived the same day to make room for C. J. Spillman.

Minnesota Vikings (first stint)

The

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

signed him to their

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

on September 3,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Chicago Bears

The

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

signed him from the Vikings practice squad on September 8,

. He was released on November 18, to make room for Marc Mariani, after registering four

tackles and a fumble recovery in five games.

Miami Dolphins

On November 25,

, he was signed by the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

to their practice squad. He was cut on December second, to make room for

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

Jake Knott Jake Knott (born October 24, 1990) is a former American football linebacker. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He played college football at Iowa State. High school Knott attended Waukee High School ...

Minnesota Vikings (second stint)

On December 6,

, he was signed to the

practice squad. On December 17, he was promoted to the active roster, filling the spot vacated after

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

J'Marcus Webb J'Marcus Webb (born August 8, 1988) is an American football offensive tackle who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at West Texas A&M. Webb has played for t ...

was waived. He was released on May 7,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

Edmonton Eskimos (first stint)

Dixon signed with the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

on December 9, 2016. He was released on May 1, 2017, but was re-signed on June 5. He was released again on June 17. On September 12, he was added to the practice roster, and promoted to the active roster on September 15. He appeared in one game before being released on September 21.

The Spring League

In 2018, he agreed to play in

The Spring League The Spring League was an American football developmental league and scouting event (pro showcase) that played from 2017 to 2021 and was founded by Brian Woods. Aimed at professional athletes but not paying a salary or expenses, the league's go ...

, a non-paying developmental league, as part of the South team.

Edmonton Eskimos (second stint)

On January 25,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, Dixon re-signed with the

. He was released during final roster cuts on June 10.

Los Angeles Wildcats

Dixon was selected in the 6th round during phase four in the

2020 XFL Draft The 2020 XFL Draft was the inaugural player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams of the 2020 reboot of the XFL. The draft was held on October 15–16, 2019, via conference call, with results released through the XFL's social m ...

by the Los Angeles Wildcats. In March, amid the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the league announced that it would be cancelling the rest of the season. Playing in all 5 games, he registered 44 tackles and no interceptions. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.

Philadelphia Stars

On March 10, 2022, Dixon was drafted by the Philadelphia Stars of the

Statistics

References

External links

Baylor Bears bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dixon, Ahmad 1991 births Living people Sportspeople from Waco, Texas Players of American football from Texas American football safeties Baylor Bears football players Dallas Cowboys players Minnesota Vikings players Chicago Bears players Miami Dolphins players Edmonton Elks players Los Angeles Wildcats (XFL) players Philadelphia Stars (2022) players