David Nixon (born March 16, 1985) 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 with ...
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 ...
. He was an undrafted free agent signing in the
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. T ...
with the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
. 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
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
.
[
]
He has also played for the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
and
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
.
College career
Nixon attended
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
and was an All-Mountain West Conference second-team selection his senior season.
During his final season as a team captain Nixon set a new Mountain West Conference record with his 43 career tackles for loss and finished the season second on the team in tackles with 90. During his career with the Cougars Nixon tallied 275 tackles.
Professional career
Oakland Raiders
Immediately following the draft Nixon signed as a rookie free agent with the Raiders.
Following training camp Nixon was signed to the Raiders practice squad on September 6, 2009. On November 21, 2009 Nixon was promoted to the active roster and appeared in 3 regular season games. Nixon participated in the Raiders 2010 training camp but was placed on waivers on September 4, 2010.
Houston Texans
Nixon was claimed on waivers by the Texans and played 3 regular season games notching 10 tackles. The Texans waived Nixon on October 19, 2010.
St. Louis Rams
Nixon was signed to the Rams practice squad joining fellow
BYU
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...
linebacker
Bryan Kehl
Bryan Kehl (born June 16, 1984) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Brigham Young University (BYU).
He has also been a member o ...
on the Rams roster. Nixon was signed to the Rams active roster on December 7, 2010. Nixon was waived on August 6, 2011.
Miami Dolphins
On August 9, 2011 Nixon signed with 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 ...
. Nixon was cut during final cuts prior to the regular season.
St. Louis Rams
Nixon was re-signed by the Rams on November 9, 2011. He was released on March 12, 2012.
Carolina Panthers
Nixon signed with the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
on July 26, 2012 but was released during final cuts.
[
]
Broadcasting
In October 2011, Nixon was signed by
BYUtv Sports to serve as an analyst for pre-game and post-game shows on BYUtv. His first appearance doing such was the pre-game show for the game against Oregon State on October 15, 2011. Nixon also provided analysis during halftime for the BYUtv live broadcast of the Idaho State game on October 22, 2011. As BYUtv expanded its college football shows, Nixon was also added as a football analyst for ''After Further Review'', and ''BYU Sports Nation''.
Personal life
Nixon is a member of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
. He served a mission for the Church in
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
and speaks fluent
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
. Nixon's sister, Emily, married former BYU quarterback and current
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
tight end,
Taysom Hill
Taysom Shawn Hill (born August 23, 1990) is an American football utility player officially designated as a tight end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at BYU and joined the Saints in 201 ...
.
References
External links
BYU bioTwitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nixon, David
1985 births
Living people
American football linebackers
Brigham Young University alumni
Latter Day Saints from Texas
American Mormon missionaries in Ecuador
21st-century Mormon missionaries
BYU Cougars football announcers
BYU Cougars football players
Oakland Raiders players
Houston Texans players
St. Louis Rams players
Miami Dolphins players