A Bishop Dwenger star, Dixon became a first-team All-American at Michigan in 1983, earning all-Big Ten honors after helping the Wolverines win a pair of Big Ten titles. After starting one game at left guard as a freshman, he started 36 games in a row, earning all-Big Ten honors as a junior and senior. Michigan beat UCLA in the Bluebonnet Bowl when he was a sophomore, lost to UCLA when he was a junior in the Rose Bowl and lost to Auburn in the Sugar Bowl when he was a senior. He played one season with Michigan of the USFL before retiring in 1985.