by Juan Leer

Created on: January 27, 2010

During Dennis Dixon's final year in an Oregon uniform, he had them in the hunt for the national title. He was the leader of one of the most explosive offenses in the country, and he could hurt defenses in many different ways. He was one of the best quarterbacks in the country out of the spread, and defenses had to try and account for him at all times.

Then, he got hurt. Oregon was ranked second in the BCS and looking like they might have a chance to play in the national championship. He tore his ACL in a game against Arizona St., and had to miss the rest of the game. He tried to come back a couple weeks later, but simply wound up aggravating the injury as the Ducks lost the game and lost Dixon for the rest of the season. This was likely Oregon's best chance this decade for a national title.

At the end of his career, when healthy, Dixon was as dynamic of a quarterback as there was in the college game, and he executed Mike Bellotti's spread offense perfectly. He was making smart decisions with the football, and always seemed to know when to throw and when to tuck the ball and run with it. Despite missing time in 2007, he was the Pac-10 Player of the Year, and he finished 5th in Heisman voting. Had he remained healthy, he would have been the frontrunner to win the most coveted award in college football.

Showing his athleticism, Dixon was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the MLB draft. Even though he struggled in his little time of Minor League Baseball, it was a testament to his ability that he was even given the shot. Eventually, he was taken in the 5th round of the NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he is currently their backup quarterback. He started two games for them in 2009. He also is the owner of  Super Bowl ring, when the Steelers won the big game in 2008.

In 2007, he finished with an excellent 20:4 TD:INT ratio, throwing for 2,000 yards with a good average. He also ran for nearly 600 yards and 9 rushing touchdowns, making him a true dual threat. If it weren't for his injury, we might be talking about Dennis Dixon as a former Heisman Trophy winner. That is the talent of Dennis Dixon.

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