D’Cota Dixon

Classroom

A multiple-semester dean’s list student, D’Cota Dixon has been named Academic All-Big Ten each of the last two seasons and was a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2017-2018. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation psychology, maintaining a 3.32 GPA, in May of 2018 and is pursuing a master’s degree in counseling psychology.

Character

A team captain and an unquestioned leader on and off the field for the Badgers, Dixon epitomizes character. He received the Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award from the National Association for Academic Advisors of Athletics in 2017 for his academic success and perseverance in facing extremely difficult circumstances growing up in South Florida and having significant setbacks faced as a student-athlete at UW. He also received the 2017 FWAA/Orange Bowl Courage Award for overcoming these obstacles to achieve success on and off the field. He leads a student-athlete Bible study, chooses to spend free time mentoring troubled youth at the Dane County Youth Correctional Center and has become a true role model for his teammates and even his coaches.

Community

Dixon was named to the 2018 Allstate/AFCA Good Works Team for his charitable work. He has volunteered his time at more than 30 events through the Badgers Give Back community service initiative, but has spent countless hours on additional volunteer opportunities he organizes himself. “If someone takes the time to reach out to me and I can fit it in my schedule, how can I tell them no?” he says. He has continued to spend countless hours working with the troubled youth at the Dane County Youth Correctional Center even after a psychology internship there ended. He also worked with the UW Athletics Department of Clinical and Sport Psychology to help develop a program aimed at reducing the stigma of seeking mental health services for student-athletes.

Competition

A third-year starter, Dixon has played in 45 games with 26 starts at safety and owns 152 total tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, 5 interceptions and 14 pass breakups (as of nomination time). He was named third-team All-Big Ten as a sophomore in 2016 and first-team All-Big Ten as a junior in 2017 for his role in leading the defense of a Badgers team that went 13-1 and won the Orange Bowl. He began the 2018 season on the watch lists for the Bednarik Award, Nagurski Trophy and Wuerffel Trophy.