ALTON - Marquette Catholic’s Andrew Dixon is the latest member of the MacMurray College Highlander football program.
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He signed his letter of intent to attend the college Wednesday afternoon.
“It feels good to get to celebrate my accomplishment of continuing my football career into college,” Dixson said.
The five-foot-ten offensive guard helped lead the Explorers to a successful 8-2 record this past season, which was their best in five years.
Looking back on his high school football career, Dixon treasures the team camaraderie and bonding with his teammates.
“Sharing all the memories with my brothers on the field. There’s nothing quite like the brotherhood you share with a football team," he said. "I remember it didn’t matter if we won or lost we were all there. It didn’t matter who did what, at the end of the game we were all a family.”
His favorite individual memory was beating East-Alton Wood River 47-0 this past season.
More importantly for Dixon, his scholarship has given him the opportunity to become a student-athlete and focus on schoolwork. He stresses the importance of that.
“They had everything I wanted. It was a perfect fit for me. They had what I wanted to study and the football. They had a very class oriented environment. You’re a student-athlete at MacMurray, not an athlete-student. School work comes first.”
Dixon will double major in Criminal Justice and Homeland Security. He eventually hopes to become a member of the Illinois State Police.
“I took a Criminal Justice class here at Marquette, so it got me interested and opened my eyes to a new look towards law enforcement.”
MacMurray College is located in Jacksonville, IL., which is about an hour and 15-minute drive from Alton. It’s a small private college that was founded in 1846.
“It feels good to be on my own and have that feeling of independence, but I know I’m not far away from home.”
