[5] Dixon played basketball at Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles.

As a freshman point guard, he was only 5-foot-3-inch (1.60 m) and was among the smallest in his class, but he grew 11 inches (28 cm) and graduated as the tallest.

[7] Dixon wanted to play college basketball at the University of California, Santa Barbara, but the UCSB Gauchos' top recruiter, assistant coach Ben Howland, decided not to sign him.

He considered using his finance degree for a job earning $20,000 annually, but instead played with the La Crosse Catbirds in the Continental Basketball Association for $400 per week.

He was accidentally kneed in the midsection while diving for a loose ball, and suffered a ruptured pancreas, a rare basketball injury.

He spent 90 days in the hospital, unable to eat for weeks, and saw his weight drop by a quarter from 200 pounds (91 kg) to 150 (68).

In the NCAA tournament, Dixon led Pitt to the Sweet Sixteen in 2004 and 2007 and to the Elite Eight in 2009, a year that saw his Panthers earn their first-ever No.1 rankings in the AP poll and Coaches' Poll, their first-ever victories over a No.1 ranked team (UConn, twice), and their first ever No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament (East Region).

[15] He is the first and only head coach in Pitt's history to lead his team to seven consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.

On October 23, 2010, Dixon received national attention when he assisted in removing victims from a severe car accident in a Pittsburgh suburb.

With the victory, Dixon broke the all-time NCAA record for the most wins in a coach's first eight seasons.

[20] Outside of basketball, Dixon has been credited with a peripheral role in the Big East's decision to invite TCU to become the conference's 17th member.

Specifically, he suggested to TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte that the school pursue Big East membership during a conversation at the 2010 TCU–Baylor football game.

That summer, he led the United States to its first gold medal in 18 years in the 2009 FIBA Under-19 World Championship held in Auckland, New Zealand.

He starred in various commercials as a child and into his early twenties, including ads for Volvo, Rice Krispies, Mattel and Bud Light.