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Christopher Dixon takes on Cactus Shadows football as head coach. (Enrique Garcia/Contributor)
Christopher Dixon takes on Cactus Shadows football as head coach. (Enrique Garcia/Contributor)
Cactus Shadows football is stepping into the spotlight with the recent addition of Christopher Dixon as head coach.
Armed with an extensive resume as a player and coach, Dixon is a four-time Indoor Football league MVP and eight-time IFL champion with the Montana Outlaws and Sioux Falls Storm between 2005 and 2014.
More importantly, his knowledge is key to Cactus Shadows’ success.
“In his first interview with the committee, he was infectious with his passion for the game of football, his knowledge for the game of football and his passion for kids in helping them grow and improve,” said Drew Ammon, Cactus Shadows’ athletic director.
Upon his hiring, Dixon quickly familiarized himself with the student athletes, coaching staff and community.
“They’re hungry to see growth,” Dixon said. “I think (Cactus Shadows) is ready to go into the next chapter of its football life. It’s time for Cactus Shadows to stop being in the shadows.”
Football is in Dixon’s blood. He played at Contra Costa College in San Pablo, California, before transferring to Humboldt State in Arcata, California.
After college, Dixon went undrafted. He then turned to arena football with the IFL. Inside arena football, he found his stride. He posted all-time league records in completion percentage (68.6%), passing yards (12,963) and passing touchdowns (323) among others.
During his career, he collected four IFL Offensive Player of the Year, four First-Team All-IF and three United Bowl MVP prizes, and a 2015 IFL Hall of Fame induction.
He’s just as passionate about coaching. He started at Shepherd High School in Shepherd, Montana, where he was instrumental in building a winning foundation with the football team. Under Dixon’s management, the team won its first home playoff game in 15 years and was named co-conference champions.
He moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2021 to accept a job on the Arizona Rattlers staff.
He began in the 2022-2023 season serving as the quarterback and running back coach for the Rattlers, one of the IFL’s most prolific offenses.
Dixon said he brings a lot of energy and direction to Cactus Shadows. Outdoor high school football and the IFL are similar in that they play quickly in small spaces.
“I think a lot of great athletes get an opportunity in the NFL from the indoor football game because they get to play in a unique way that’s learned in a football game that you just don’t get when you just play outdoor football,” Dixon said.
Ammon praised Dixon’s experience and said he is looking forward to the 2022-2023 season.
“He has seen football from so many different perspectives and so many different avenues,” Ammon said.
“He can offer really nice insights for our student athletes — and not even our student athletes who are playing football, but our student athletes who do other sports as well.”
In this next chapter, Ammon’s goal for the team is to create “competitors in the community.”
“I want our athletes to impact our school culture for positive,” Ammon said. “I can tell you I want to make the playoffs. I can tell you I want to make the state championship and all that stuff, but really at the end of the day, it’s empowering our young men and our young women to be leaders on our campus, and then leaders in our community.
“So, I don’t want to put any win-loss expectations out there. I just want us to compete. I want us to be competitors on the field and really competitors in our community.”
Similar to Ammon, one of Dixon’s goals for the football program is to build the culture at the school.
“We want to grow the culture around the school, where we’re not just in an educational school, but an athletic school too,” Dixon said.
“We need to bring all that into the forefront and make sure our kids are excited, happy and ready, but be the best people they can be.”
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