The Amazing Story Of Antonio Dixon

Antonio Dixon’s first paycheck from the Eagles hangs proudly framed on his apartment wall. It is symbolic of a promise kept and poverty broken. A reminder that nothing further is guaranteed.

That paycheck got gobbled up pretty quick. His single mother, Corenthia – who goes by Peaches — along with his four siblings back in the Miami area had all their Christmas present requests in, ready to hand to Antonio when he walked through the door last year. He had told them to get a list together, and boy did they ever.

There were plenty of pressing needs to tend to as well. Antonio’s younger brother Jarvis had gone down the wrong path and stopped going to school, claiming he had no clothes or shoes to go in. So Antonio took him shopping, and said: “Now you have no excuses.”

And then there was the living situation…

This was all part of the plan that had been in the works for years. Peaches paints the picture of little Antonio at the homeless shelter, steadfast in his conviction that he was the key out.

“He would say, ‘Momma, I’m going to get us out of this situation. I’m going to play football and we’ll be rich one day.’ I used to laugh and say, ‘That’s so sweet,’ ” said Peaches.

Not that she dismissed what her son was saying, but being rich hardly seems within reach when you are homeless.

Peaches had her first child, Darrell, when she was 15, and Antonio two years later. In that time period Peaches’ mother died.

“I was just a kid lost out in the world with nobody to help me. Everyone was saying they were going to do this and that. But once we buried my mom, we were on our own,” she said.

Antonio’s dad wasn’t an option. He was a drug dealer and served 17 years in prison for cocaine trafficking (he was just released last year). So Peaches took her family to Atlanta to stay with her sister. But there were quickly complaints that the house became overcrowded, and they were asked to leave. For the next seven or eight years, the family would be in and out of shelters between Atlanta and Miami.

All the while, Antonio was at work on his plan. And there was much work to do, as the boy was born not just impoverished but also impaired. He suffered from dyslexia, and was unable to read until he was in sixth grade. Plus, he had a significant stuttering problem. To this day when he is the least bit excited or nervous his mind will get stuck, and he’s forced to slap his arm or pound his chest to get the word out. He was often teased for how he spoke and would get in the occasional fight as a result.

He kept his focus, though. Even though he went to about 10 different middle schools between all the moving and was battling a learning disability, the mission to get rich never went off track. Even when Peaches went into rehab for drug abuse, and he was placed in foster care with the rest of his siblings for 11 months, the picture was still clear.

Antonio’s schedule went: School, then home. Once football was introduced, it went: School, then football, then home. He never went out with his friends, instead coming home to crack open books and will himself to read and learn. Antonio’s older brother and Peaches would assist, helping to do the homework to ensure Antonio would continue to advance from grade to grade.

Things stabilized in high school thanks in large part to football, as he spent all four years at Booker T. Washington in Miami. By his senior year he was around 350 pounds. After a successful year at the preparatory school Milford Academy he was heavily recruited, and ultimately chose the University of Miami.

Antonio had a pretty good collegiate career but was not drafted by the NFL. The Washington Redskins picked Dixon up as an undrafted free agent but then waived him on Sept. 5, 2009. On Sept. 6, the Eagles claimed him.

“He called and said, ‘Momma, I got signed by the Eagles,’ ” said Peaches. “Everyone in the house started screaming: ‘He did it, he did it! He said he was going to do it, and he did it!’ ”

Dixon got limited playing time last season, accruing 15 tackles and a sack for the Eagles. This season looks like it’s going to be a breakout year for him. After Brodrick Bunkley went down with an injured elbow in San Francisco, Dixon has taken over the starting defensive tackle role and was a big key to the defense’s success against a pair of strong running attacks in the Falcons and Titans. It looks like he has his coach’s attention, especially after a monster day against the Titans where he racked up six tackles, a sack and helped contain Chris Johnson.

“Dixon was a bright spot in this game [and] really the last few weeks. He’s played very well so he’ll continue to have opportunities,” said Andy Reid, who was asked to comment on the personal accomplishments of his newfound defensive tackle.
“I mean Antonio’s had to overcome some things just in his life. He has a speech impediment, and so on, and he’s worked through that and he’s one of the team favorites, just as far as being a person. He’s playing very good football right now and he works at it, he really worked in the offseason about keeping his weight down and kind of reforming his body and it’s paying off for him. He’s playing very good football [and he’s a] very, very strong player and really enjoys playing the game so I’m happy for him. He’s doing well.”

Antonio has been on the team long enough to string some paychecks together. Besides bringing Christmas to his mother and four siblings back in Miami, in February he took the whole family out for Peaches’ birthday. They went to the movies, out to eat, and he even bought his mom a gold necklace.

“Whatever I ask for, he gets it for me,” said Peaches.

Including a new home.

Back in Atlanta when they weren’t in a shelter, the whole family lived in a single room, sharing the bathroom and kitchen with three other families. The girls would sleep together in the bed, the boys on the floor. Thanks to Antonio, the family is now in a three-bedroom house in the Miami area, complete with a big back yard. They are renting for now.

“I’m real happy now,” said Antonio. “She’s secure, and has a place to lay their head and a place to call home. We’re happy about that.”

Antonio, meanwhile, is staying in a one-bedroom apartment in Philadelphia, with plans to upgrade mildly. His mom has continued to preach cautious spending, as the next hard moment might be right around the corner.

“I’m not getting a house until I sign another contract. I’m still grinding,” he said. “I’m still trying to make it. I haven’t made it yet. I can get hurt tomorrow and never play again, so I’m trying to be smart about it.”

But as he heads home to Miami during this bye week, he enters a house he helped pay for with a salary he gets from the National Football League. What were once just words spoken at a homeless shelter is now a family’s reality, however unimaginable.

“Whenever he said he’d do something he’d always do it,” said Peaches. “It may have taken a long time but he’d do it.”



(phillysportsdaily.com)