Guess what was the first sport Army fullback Larry Dixon played?
If you picked football, you would be incorrect.
“I started playing basketball when I was 6 or 7,” said the 6-foot, 238-pound sophomore. “In high school, I played basketball all of the time, year round about as much as I could play.”
Dixon played point guard from Olympic High School in Bremerton, Wash. and averaged 19.2 points per game his senior season.
Basketball translates to the football field, says Dixon, who is coming off a career game (136 yards, three touchdowns) against Northern Illinois.
Dixon can power over defenders and run through tackles. He also makes defensive linemen and linebackers miss with some nifty footwork.
“It (basketball) tremendously helps,” said Dixon, who started playing football in the third grade. “From a quickness standpoint, it helps a lot and from an endurance standpoint, it helps. It’s always nice to go back to my basketball roots. I usually turn to those roots with trying to get quicker and faster. ”
Dixon, one of Army’s most athletic players, said he never dunked in a game but, “if I palm it and run up to the basket, yeah I can get it down.”
Dixon’s favorite NBA player? “Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat guard). I like the way that he plays. I can’t help it.”
