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That’s all the current Cardinal Ritter senior defensive back could think about prior to his teenage years.

“My favorite sport by far,� he recalled.

But it became quickly apparent Dixon was designed for a different activity.

At age 11, Dixon became a terror in a high-level recreational basketball league at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center in East St. Louis.

Lightning quick and bigger than most players, he earned a reputation for being extremely physical. So much so, he never stayed on the court for long.

“I’d get too many fouls, too aggressive,� Dixon said. “Kept fouling out.�

Dixon, the No. 22 recruit on the Post-Dispatch Super 30 countdown of the area’s top senior college football prospects, reluctantly decided to go in a different direction. His mom suggested he give football a try.

Moms always know best.

“Every since I first tried (football), I fell in love with it,� Dixon said.

The switch, which occurred seven years ago, has paid dividends in the long run.

The 6-foot, 190-pounder is one of the top defensive backs in the area.

Dixon helped lead East St. Louis to the Class 6A state championship last season. He topped the team with 121 tackles, 34 more than his closest teammate. He also recorded a squad-best 11 sacks and anchored a defense that allowed just 8.8 points per game.

Plus, Dixon returned a fumble 45 yards for a touchdown to kick-start the Flyers to a 57-0 win over Belleville East on Sept. 17.

All of this and more from a youngster who grew up with a basketball in his hand.

“At first I wasn’t sure I would like (football),� he said.

Dixon is a football fanatic who now lives, sleeps and dreams the sport.

Yet education is also high on his list. He hopes to study biology in college and decided to transfer to Cardinal Ritter to get a head start on the subject.

The switch confounded people in East St. Louis, but Dixon feels it is the right move. He is now in a unique position where he could win back-to-back championships in different states. Cardinal Ritter captured the Class 3 state title in November and has plenty of firepower returning.

Dixon, who sport a 3.1 grade point average, also played some linebacker in his two seasons at East St. Louis and was a first team Post-Dispatch All-Metro selection last season.

Yet he is likely to become a defensive back in college.

“His strength is his ability to do everything,� Ritter coach Brennan Spain said. “It’s very rare that you get a young man of his caliber that you can put in so many different spots defensively.�

Dixon turned heads during his first week of practice last month with his new team. It did not take him long to go from East St. Louis orange to Ritter maroon.

“I knew a lot of the guys (at Ritter), so it wasn’t like I was totally new to them,� Dixon said.

Dixon broke into the starting lineup at East St. Louis as a sophomore and recorded a team-best 115 tackles as the Flyers lost in the state final.

He continued to improve last season to the point where he garnered some attention from NCAA Division I colleges. Wyoming and Eastern Illinois are among those to have offered him scholarships at this point. He is hoping to woo even more suitors with his play this season.

“He has an instinct for the ball, something you can’t teach,� Spain said. “He’s just instinctively sound. From what I’ve seen in the short time he’s been here, he’s the type of young man that can make a big difference.�

Dixon has fond memories of his basketball days. And he still likes to play in pick-up games from time to time.

But he has no regrets about making football No. 1 in his life.

“I just feel it’s for me,� Dixon said.