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Carlson: Former OU football great Rickey Dixon had a bite much worse than his bark

Rickey Dixon was the antithesis of a Barry Switzer era player.

Dixon wasn’t brash.

He didn’t have that swagger. He didn’t flash that ego. All those personality traits that were a life blood of OU football in those days weren’t Dixon’s style. Where his teammates and even his head coach were audacious, he was quiet. When they scowled, he smiled.

But here’s where Dixon was like so many Sooners from that era: he was excellent.

Dixon died Saturday afternoon after battling ALS for several years.

He was 53.

Dixon was undersized, a defensive back and safety who was only 5-foot-10 and 155 pounds coming out of high school in Dallas.