David Tukatahi Dixon (born January 5, 1969) is a former

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 wi ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

who played eleven professional seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) and was the second Maori to play in professional football after

Riki Ellison Riki Morgan Ellison (born 15 August 1960) is a New Zealand-American former professional player of American football who was a linebacker for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was known as Riki Gray while playing college foo ...

. He was drafted in the ninth round of the 1992 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. He also earned a Super Bowl ring as part of the practice squad for 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 divi ...

, though practice squad players did not receive an actual ring. Dixon attended Arizona State University after transferring from Ricks College in Idaho. He first played American football in college after being an active rugby player. He represented New Zealand in rugby at High School level in 1985. Dixon wore the number 71 while playing and starting for the Vikings as an Offensive Lineman. David had two stints with The Vikings with the second lasting 10 years (1994 to 2004). He was known as a vital part of the team's Offensive unit, and retired in 2004 after sustaining several injuries. Dixon's daughter TeTori plays for the

United States women's national volleyball team The United States women's national volleyball team participates in international volleyball competitions and friendly games, and is governed by USA Volleyball. The current head coach is three-time Olympic gold medalist and retired dominant beac ...

, and also was a key player for Burnsville (High School) in Minnesota.

References

External links

NFL.com player page

1969 births Living people People from Papakura New Zealand players of American football American football offensive guards Arizona State Sun Devils football players Minnesota Vikings players People educated at Pukekohe High School {{NewZealand-sport-bio-stub