DOB: 20 May 1936
Died: 10 July 2025
Debut: Round 5, 1954 against Richmond at MCG
Last Game: Round 20, 1968 against Richmond at MCG
From: Melbourne High School
Number: 9 (1954-1968)
Honours:
Premiership Player - 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1964
Grand Final player - 1954, 1958
All Australian - 1961
Life Member - 1963
Team of the Century - Winger
MFC Hall of Fame - 2001
150 Heroes selection
Australian Football Hall of Fame - 2010
Games: 252
Goals: 41
Career Statistics
| Wins | Draws | Losses | Winning % |
| 169 | 3 | 80 | 67.06 |
One of the finest wingers of the post World War II era, Dixon originally wanted to play for St Kilda. Zoned to Melbourne, he lived with his grandmother to qualify for the Saints. but they turned him down and he returned to Melbourne in 1954. Dixon quickly worked his way through the club's lower ranks to the senior side, playing a Grand Final in his first year.
Dixon missed the 1955 Grand Final victory after being dropped for playing in a university match just before the finals, but when he broke back into the side the next year he joined Frank Adams and Laurie Mithen in the best centreline in the competition. After playing in the 1956 and 1957 premiership sides, Dixon blamed himself for Melbourne's shock 1958 Grand Final loss and contemplated quitting the VFL to coach a country side. He stayed, and was best on ground in the 1959 Grand Final, winning a Best and Fairest and fourth premiership in 1960.
In the months before the 1961 season Dixon competed as a professional sprinter, winning a major meeting. That year he picked up the Tassie Medal as best and fairest in the National Football League State Carnival. He was promoted to vice-captain in 1963 to replace Laurie Mithen and was best on ground in another winning Grand Final in 1964.
After missing five games with a hamstring injury 1965, there was speculation about Dixon retiring at the end of the year, but he played on and prepared for the new season by rejoining the competitive running circuit. He suffered a setback in the 1966 pre-season when he reinjured the leg during a match race against Geelong players against each other. That year he also addressed the club's February annual meeting to deny he'd been disloyal to Norm Smith during Smith's temporary sacking in 1965. He described being "disturbed" at the suggestion a senior player had been accused of "dobbing" during the year.
Dixon played the first seven games of 1966 before a knee complaint cost him five weeks. He returned in Round 13 and injured the knee again, playing just 11 matches for the season. He was now within range of the club's game record, and played on despite suggestions that he would retire to concentrate on his political career.
In 1964, while still playing, Dixon was elected to the Victorian Parliament as the Liberal member for St. Kilda. He had earlier sought pre-selection for an upper house seat, but lost to the former member for St. Kilda, who he replaced in the lower house. Dixon retained the seat until 1982, including in 1979 when his narrow victory allowed the Liberal Party to form majority government. On the day of the Round 3, 1967 match against St Kilda, Dixon was put in the unique position of fighting a football match against and a State Election for St Kilda on the same day.
By 1967, Dixon was slowing down and a suggestion by Norm Smith that he retire threatened to reopen the wounds of Smith's brief departure from the club two years before. Dixon declined the offer and was picked the next week with all involved denying that there was any sort of falling out. At the end of the season he had to undergo a knee operation to keep his career alive. The operation was a success, and in Round 13, 1968 he became the first Demon to play 250 games. Dixon retired at the end of that year and joined the committee, later saying he would have played on if he hadn't had to make a parliamentary trip to South-East Asia during the year. He was later named on the Team of the Century wing opposite Robbie Flower.
Dixon played three games with VFA club Prahran in 1970 before injury forced him into retirement again. He remained on the committee until the end of that year before resigning to become coach of North Melbourne. He coached the Kangaroos in 1971 and 1972 before being offered a position in the State Government cabinet if he gave up coaching. He'd floated a playing comeback in the second last game of 1971 but the idea was vetoed by the North board.
After losing his parliamentary seat at the 1982 State Election, Dixon was appointed Sydney general manager in October 1982 and served in the role until May 1983. In 1984 he unsuccessfully contested the Federal division of McEwen.
Dixon was a prominent figure in the 1996 anti-merger campaign. As the most fervently anti-merger of all ex-players Dixon introduced Joseph Gutnick to the club and gave a fiery speech at the Dallas Brookes Hall vote which savagely attacked his old teammate Ian Ridley. Dixon was originally slated to be a Vice-President of the club under Gutnick but didn't win a spot on the committee, falling out with the new President soon after the vote.
He served as president of the Past-Players association in 2001 and was later president of AFL South Africa.
| Year | Games | Goals | Brownlow |
| 1954 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| 1955 | 16 | 7 | 1 |
| 1956 | 17 | 5 | 0 |
| 1957 | 21 | 2 | 0 |
| 1958 | 20 | 2 | 5 |
| 1959 | 20 | 2 | 5 |
| 1960 | 20 | 4 | 8 |
| 1961 | 16 | 2 | 8 |
| 1962 | 18 | 2 | 9 |
| 1963 | 18 | 3 | 10 |
| 1964 | 17 | 1 | 2 |
| 1965 | 13 | 1 | 2 |
| 1966 | 11 | 0 | 9 |
| 1967 | 18 | 6 | 3 |
| 1968 | 19 | 2 | 3 |
Video
Lists
100 Plus Consecutive Games
VFA
Media
Age - 01/12/1960, 31/03/1965, 24/11/1965, 18/02/1966, 22/02/1966, 12/05/1967, 08/11/1967, 01/01/1970
Australian Jewish News - 13/03/1964
Inside Football - 21/08/1971
Links
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