Sam E. Dixon

Samuel Edward “Sam” Dixon was a dual-sport collegiate athlete. He was inducted into the Emory & Henry Sports Hall of Fame in 1989 for his achievements on the basketball court.

Dixon played basketball for the Wasps from 1947-50. During his junior season, he ranked sixteenth in the state for scoring and was named First-Team All-Smoky Mountain Conference. His senior year, he was voted team captain. That season, he was fourth in the state in scoring with 451 points in the regular season plus 40 in tournament play. At the end of the 1949-50 season, he was awarded First-Team, All-Smoky Mountain and Second-Team all-state honors.

Dixon continued his education at East Tennessee State University where he received a master’s degree. Dixon coached high school basketball and accumulated a record of 500 victories and an over 75% winning percentage. He also had over 100 wins as a high school football coach and served as a track, baseball, and tennis coach, winning a number of championships at district levels.