Oklahoma football: Former Sooner defensive star Ricky Dixon dies

Former Oklahoma All-American defensive back Ricky Dixon died Saturday at his home in DeSoto, Texas, after a long battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Dixon played four seasons for Barry Switzer’s Sooners from 1984 to 1987. Earlier this year, we wrote that the popular Oklahoma defensive back was one of the top five defensive backs ever to wear the Sooner uniform.

Originally from Dallas, Dixon was one of the many players who left their home state of Texas to cross the Red River and come north to play their college football at Oklahoma. He was a member of an incoming freshman class at OU that included Troy Aikman, Keith Jackson and Lydell Carr.

Dixon played on both the 1985 and 1987 Oklahoma teams that played for the national championship. The 1985 Sooners defeated No. 1 Penn State to win the NCAA national title. The top-ranked1987 OU team, however, lost to No. 2 Miami in the Orange Bowl.

Dixon finished his stellar OU career with 170 total tackles, 17 interceptions and 23 pass breakups. His 17 interceptions rank second on the Oklahoma career list behind Darrell Royal.

Two of Dixon’s interceptions as an All-Big 12 defensive back at Oklahoma came against top-ranked Nebraska in 1987 in a game billed as “Game of the Century II.” Dixon was a key figure in the No. 2-ranked Sooners’ 17-7 win over their longtime rival. What made that victory even sweeter was that it was played at Nebraska.

Dixon collected nine interceptions in his senior season in 1987, and he was named a consensus All-American that season as well as being voted co-winner of the Jim Thorpe Award as college football’s top defensive back.

The Sooner All-American was the first-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals, the fifth player selected overall, in the 1988 NFL Draft. He played five seasons with the Bengals and one year with the Los Angeles Raiders before retiring after the 1993 season.

Dixon was diagnosed with ALS in 2013 and told at the time of the diagnosis he would probably live three to five more years. He made outlived the original diagnosis, making it seven more years.

He was honored at an Oklahoma game last season ahead of his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, although he was not well enough to attend the game in person.

The Sooner football family mourns the loss of one of its greatest stars. Dixon was 53 years old.