quarterback
Oregon's future looks
bright with Freshman
Dennis Dixon in town
CLAYTON JONES
SPORTS REPORTER
The quarterback position has
evolved over the last 15 years.
Drop-back and pass quarter
backs are a thing of the past: Most col
lege programs now seek a versatile and
athletic quarterback who can create
time for himself and make plays.
While quarterbacks like Akili
Smith, Joey Harrington and Kellen
Clemens have proved to be some
what versatile, Oregon has something
cut from a different mold in freshman
Dennis Dixon.
His pure athletic ability combined
with his size to see over the line and
his pure quarterback skills pose a dan
gerous threat to opposing defenses.
“Every time you know a quarter
back can run the ball as well as
throw, it’s so mind-boggling that you
get frustrated,” junior cornerback
Justin Phinisee said. “You have to
cover the receiver against the pass
until the quarterback crosses the line
of scrimmage then you have to try
and make a tackle — an open field
tackle at that.”
But Dixon still has some experi
ence to gain before he can take the
reins of the Oregon football team.
“The coaches want to go with ex
perience and I understand that,”
Dixon said. “I’m not up to par yet,
but I will be and once I get to that
point I’ll be ready to play. ”
Sports is life for Dixon
Dixon’s love for sports is evident in
the fact he was a three-sport athlete
at San Leandro High School in Cali
fornia. Growing up, Dixon said he
and his friends would play anything
they could get their hands on.
“Anything to do with a ball we
were around and would play all the
time,” Dixon said.
Dixon’s choice to become a quar
terback was also made at a young
age while playing Pee Wee Football.
“I was always the receiver, but one
day I got frustrated at the quarterback
after a bad pass,” Dixon said. “I threw
the ball back and threw it farther then
the actual quarterback could, and
since then I have played quarterback.”
In high school, Dixon’s reputation
was as a winner. He completed his
high school career with a 36-3 record
as a starter. All three losses came at
the hands of the mighty De La Salle
High School team, who recently had
their 13-year, 151-game winning
streak snapped.
Dixon dominated in high school
after throwing for 5,951 yards and 79
touchdowns.
But football wasn’t the only sport
Dixon excelled at. Dixon was rated
one of the top 100 high school
prospects as an outfielder by Team
One Baseball. With his football ca
reer still an option, many scouts were
scared to draft the left-handed hitting
Dixon, fearing he would choose foot
ball. He dropped to the 20th round
drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the
2003 amateur baseball draft.
Dixon’s plate was pretty full in
high school as he was also the
Erik R. Bishoff | Online & Photo Editor
Freshman backup quarterback Dennis Dixon was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the
20th round of the 2003 amateur baseball draft as an outfielder.
starting shooting guard for his high
school basketball team.
“It was a handful playing all the
sports, but I never thought about
quitting one of them,” Dixon said. “I
always got to be moving. If I’m not
playing sports, I see life as boring.”
Tough decisions
need to be made
While in high school, Dixon had to
choose a college to play football for. He
knew baseball was still an option for
him, depending on when he was draft
ed and the contract offered to him.
Dixon said he had other schools
in mind, like UCLA and
Washington. With his family living
in Portland, he knew Oregon would
be a good fit for him.
“It’s like a second home for me
and I knew I wanted to be in the Pac
10,” Dixon said. “I get to see my fam
ily every week, whether I go up there
or they come down here. ”
Once Dixon found out where he
placed in the baseball draft in June
2003, he had to make a decision. Ac
cording to Major League Baseball
rules, he wouldn’t be eligible for the
draft again until 2006 if he didn’t sign
with Cincinnati before he started col
lege. The Reds weren’t offering a deal
acceptable to him, so he didn’t sign.
Dixon then chose to come to Oregon
and play football.
“It was a tough decision to make
between football and baseball,” Dixon
said. “I still really don’t know what
I’m going to do. I’m keeping my op
tions open. Next summer I might end
up playing a little summer baseball.”
Adjusting to college
life in Eugene
Dixon enrolled at Oregon during
winter term so he could participate in
spring football. The change from the
Bay Area to Eugene was a good one
for the soft-spoken quarterback.
“It is much quieter here, and I like
that,” Dixon said. “I hang out with a
lot of guys from the Bay Area, so in
that aspect not a lot has changed.”
To keep himself entertained, Dixon
said he and some of his teammates
get together and hang out.
“We chill and lay back at home and
play video games,” Dixon said. “We go
to a party every once in a while be
cause you do have to get out.”
The game of choice for the players
is NCAA Football 2005, and Dixon says
it’s exciting to see himself on the game.
“You got to be yourself when
you’re playing,” Dixon said. “Also,
seeing guys you know from high
school on there is a good feeling.”
But it is his playing on the field
that is giving everybody who watch
es Dixon a good feeling.
“He’s a really good athlete and pass
er, so I’m glad he’s on our team,”
DIXON, page 9
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