Indiana University Athletics
Mike Dixon Returns to Indiana Wrestling's Coaching Staff
9/14/2022 3:35:00 PM | Wrestling
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ––– Indiana head coach Angel Escobedo has announced Mike Dixon will return to the coaching staff as the team's associate head coach.
"Having Mike back on the staff is a game-changer," Escobedo said. "While Mike was on staff, we had back-to-back top-25 recruiting classes. Mike's experience, expertise, and demeanor will have an immediate impact on our program."
Dixon coached on the Indiana staff under Escobedo in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons and is an Indiana Wrestling alumnus, graduating in 2001.
Prior to his return, Dixon worked as the Director of Wrestling and Enrichment for the wrestling club, Beat The Streets Chicago. The organization's mission focuses on helping Chicago-area youth from age five to 18 develop and compete in the sport of wrestling, while also teaching valuable life skills. He started working for the club in September 2020.
Following his time at Beat The Streets Chicago, Dixon is back in his previous role at Indiana as associate head coach.
"I want to thank Angel Escobedo and Mattie White for extending this opportunity," Dixon said. "I look forward to integrating with the IU community and wrestling community to continue the progress of building a championship culture. I'm eager to help current student-athletes chase their goals both on and off the mat."
When coaching the Hoosiers from 2018-2020, he helped the team produce five NCAA Qualifiers, a second-place finish at the 2018 Navy Classic and dual wins over No. 12 North Carolina and No. 25 Stanford, among other achievements.
Before IU, Dixon coached in both the collegiate and high school ranks.
Through the 2017-2018 season, Dixon was on the coaching staff at Old Dominion, where he coached for 13 years as an integral part of the program's growth.
In his time there, the Monarchs were 109-82-2 in duals and won two Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) regular season titles. The team also had six NWCA All-Academic honors alongside two NCAA Elite 89 awards, given annually to the NCAA Championships participant with the highest GPA. Tristan Warner became just the second wrestler in Division-I to win back-to-back Elite 89 honors.
In the 2007-08 season, Old Dominion earned their first top-20 ranking in program history with six NCAA Championships qualifiers, then a school record.
The next year, Old Dominion captured a top-20 NCAA Championships while Ryan Williams (141 lbs.) became the program's first NCAA finalist in 15 years.
The 2011-12 season saw the Monarchs raise the bar with a program-best seven NCAA qualifiers and an outstanding dual meet season that included ranked upsets over Iowa State, Rutgers, and Central Michigan. Two wrestlers, Scott Festejo and Te Edwards, claimed individual titles at the 2012 CAA Championships.
Dixon helped guide a seamless transition to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in the 2013-14 season, as all six NCAA qualifiers finished in fourth-place or better at the ensuing MAC Championships.
In just their second season as a MAC member, Dixon and the Monarchs took runner-up at the conference championships in 2015. Dixon was named the SAAC Staffer of the Year and led two wrestlers, Chris Mecate and Alexander Richardson, to the All-American podium. That marked the first time Old Dominion earned two NCAA All-Americans in one season since 1991. Mecate became Old Dominion's first back-to-back All-American with a fifth-place finish the next season.
Dixon assisted in the development of Kevin Beazley, one of the most prominent wrestlers in program history, as he achieved All-American status at the 2017 NCAA Championships. Most recently, Beazley took a Greco-Roman bronze medal finish at the 2018 City of Sassari International in Italy.
Before Old Dominion, was an assistant on the coaching staffs at James Madison University after coaching in his hometown at the University of Indianapolis and at Arsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis.
Dixon guided two conference podium finishes and revitalized their recruiting strategy at James Madison after the university dropped athletic scholarships in 2000.
As an assistant at the University of Indianapolis, Dixon oversaw five national qualifiers and three top-12 finishes. At Arsenal Tech High School, he guided four conference champions, two sectional champions, and the school's first-ever freshman to win a city championship.
In his time as a student, Dixon was a 2001 graduate of Indiana University with a degree in management from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Dixon was an NCAA qualifier at 275 lbs. in 1998. He earned the team's Most Improved Wrestler award in 1998 and the prestigious Billy Thom Leadership award in 2001. Also in the 2001 season, Dixon became a University National Freestyle Champion and earned a fourth-place finish in the 2001 Pan-American Games at 97kg.
Dixon earned his master's degree in education from Old Dominion University in 2012.
"Having Mike back on the staff is a game-changer," Escobedo said. "While Mike was on staff, we had back-to-back top-25 recruiting classes. Mike's experience, expertise, and demeanor will have an immediate impact on our program."
Dixon coached on the Indiana staff under Escobedo in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons and is an Indiana Wrestling alumnus, graduating in 2001.
Prior to his return, Dixon worked as the Director of Wrestling and Enrichment for the wrestling club, Beat The Streets Chicago. The organization's mission focuses on helping Chicago-area youth from age five to 18 develop and compete in the sport of wrestling, while also teaching valuable life skills. He started working for the club in September 2020.
Following his time at Beat The Streets Chicago, Dixon is back in his previous role at Indiana as associate head coach.
"I want to thank Angel Escobedo and Mattie White for extending this opportunity," Dixon said. "I look forward to integrating with the IU community and wrestling community to continue the progress of building a championship culture. I'm eager to help current student-athletes chase their goals both on and off the mat."
When coaching the Hoosiers from 2018-2020, he helped the team produce five NCAA Qualifiers, a second-place finish at the 2018 Navy Classic and dual wins over No. 12 North Carolina and No. 25 Stanford, among other achievements.
Before IU, Dixon coached in both the collegiate and high school ranks.
Through the 2017-2018 season, Dixon was on the coaching staff at Old Dominion, where he coached for 13 years as an integral part of the program's growth.
In his time there, the Monarchs were 109-82-2 in duals and won two Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) regular season titles. The team also had six NWCA All-Academic honors alongside two NCAA Elite 89 awards, given annually to the NCAA Championships participant with the highest GPA. Tristan Warner became just the second wrestler in Division-I to win back-to-back Elite 89 honors.
In the 2007-08 season, Old Dominion earned their first top-20 ranking in program history with six NCAA Championships qualifiers, then a school record.
The next year, Old Dominion captured a top-20 NCAA Championships while Ryan Williams (141 lbs.) became the program's first NCAA finalist in 15 years.
The 2011-12 season saw the Monarchs raise the bar with a program-best seven NCAA qualifiers and an outstanding dual meet season that included ranked upsets over Iowa State, Rutgers, and Central Michigan. Two wrestlers, Scott Festejo and Te Edwards, claimed individual titles at the 2012 CAA Championships.
Dixon helped guide a seamless transition to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in the 2013-14 season, as all six NCAA qualifiers finished in fourth-place or better at the ensuing MAC Championships.
In just their second season as a MAC member, Dixon and the Monarchs took runner-up at the conference championships in 2015. Dixon was named the SAAC Staffer of the Year and led two wrestlers, Chris Mecate and Alexander Richardson, to the All-American podium. That marked the first time Old Dominion earned two NCAA All-Americans in one season since 1991. Mecate became Old Dominion's first back-to-back All-American with a fifth-place finish the next season.
Dixon assisted in the development of Kevin Beazley, one of the most prominent wrestlers in program history, as he achieved All-American status at the 2017 NCAA Championships. Most recently, Beazley took a Greco-Roman bronze medal finish at the 2018 City of Sassari International in Italy.
Before Old Dominion, was an assistant on the coaching staffs at James Madison University after coaching in his hometown at the University of Indianapolis and at Arsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis.
Dixon guided two conference podium finishes and revitalized their recruiting strategy at James Madison after the university dropped athletic scholarships in 2000.
As an assistant at the University of Indianapolis, Dixon oversaw five national qualifiers and three top-12 finishes. At Arsenal Tech High School, he guided four conference champions, two sectional champions, and the school's first-ever freshman to win a city championship.
In his time as a student, Dixon was a 2001 graduate of Indiana University with a degree in management from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Dixon was an NCAA qualifier at 275 lbs. in 1998. He earned the team's Most Improved Wrestler award in 1998 and the prestigious Billy Thom Leadership award in 2001. Also in the 2001 season, Dixon became a University National Freestyle Champion and earned a fourth-place finish in the 2001 Pan-American Games at 97kg.
Dixon earned his master's degree in education from Old Dominion University in 2012.
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