LOS ANGELES, CA (WTKR)- Hampton product Marcus Dixon's first year as a coach at the NFL level will be hard to top.
Dixon, an assistant defensive line coach with the Rams, celebrated with his team on Sunday as Los Angeles won Super Bowl LVI over the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20. He was an integral part of the team's success as the Rams won their second Super Bowl in franchise history.
"It's a feeling, you really can't even explain it," Dixon told News 3 on Monday. "When you know you just won something, you're world champs, you know how hard the players worked, how hard the coaches worked, how hard the organization worked and just for this city and to do it at home, it's a feeling you just can't explain."
Dixon's defensive line showed its stuff on Sunday night, sacking Joe Burrow seven times and applying all kinds of pressure. Aaron Donald's rush and near-sack of Burrow with 40 seconds left resulted in an incomplete pass on fourth down, clinching the game for LA.
"You see those guys, they really grind every day," said Dixon of the defensive line. "They're super tight, super close, family, love each other, playing for each other and what better way to end the game than to see the man himself, Aaron Donald, end the game to get a Super Bowl ring? This right here, it's something, you just can't make it up."
Dixon played his college football at Hampton from 2003-2007 before playing in the NFL with the Cowboys and Jets. He would return to his alma mater as an assistant coach from 2017-2020 before making the jump to the NFL coaching ranks.
"Wherever you're at, you have to make sure you do your best job," the Rams' assistant said. "Always dream big, and this has always been a dream of mine to be in the NFL as a coach. At Hampton, that was a stepping stone and now, still grinding, so it's [not] over yet."
Dixon hopes to climb the coaching the ladder in the NFL. His next goal is to be a defensive line coach, then work his way into a defensive coordinator position. His ultimate goal is to become and NFL head coach, but is quick to point out that he does not want to rush that process.
