When it comes to Texas, everything is bigger. The land is big, the meat is huge and the college football tradition is enormous. Storied college football programs dot the state, and the weekly Saturday pilgrimage to the stadium has become something of a semi-religious exodus.
Recruitment and Tradition
BYU senior linebacker David Nixon grew up in the shadow of one of the more storied football programs in the state, Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, and was recruited to play football there. Many other prominent programs in the nation also recruited him, including LSU, Kansas State, Texas Tech and Purdue. Nixon strongly considered each of these programs and the numerous opportunities playing football at a top school would afford him.
After carefully considering all of his options at length, however, Nixon decided he wanted to be part of a different tradition.
“Football, for me, is a big part of my life, but it’s not everything,” Nixon said. “Football season is only four months out of the year, and the other eight months you’ve got to live a normal life.”
BYU has played a major role in the Nixon family. Nixon’s mother, Laura, joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while attending school here after having been contacted by missionaries earlier in her life. Both Nixon’s parents and grandparents met at BYU.
Nixon is the sixth of 10 children, and before him all of his siblings had chosen to attend BYU.
“Two of my brothers were here at BYU then, and I wanted to go to school with them. It’s a tradition in my family to go to school here – I was the sixth in a row, and my sister was the seventh. We’ve got Cougar in our blood.”
Nixon’s parents told him that they’d be happy if he went to Texas A&M because he would be close by and it would be easy for them to come and watch his games, but, as Nixon says, “they would have been happy with any decision I made.” Even after he decided on BYU, Nixon’s parents have found a way to make it to almost every home game he plays in.
“Of course, it would have been much easier on us for him to attend Texas A&M,” said Clair Nixon, David’s father. “We live across the street from the football stadium and have also lived in College Station for over 30 years. Still, he went to the BYU football camp before his senior year and was sold. When he told us he had prayed about it and had decided to go to BYU we were excited.”
“My parents were content with whatever decision I made,” said Nixon. “They were really hands off, which was nice for me because it relieved a lot of stress.”
Family Ties and Travels
Nixon’s closeness with his parents is apparent in many aspects of his life. His father is professor of accounting and taxation at Texas A&M, and Nixon has followed in his footsteps, working right now on a degree in finance. Due to his experience and expertise, the elder Nixon has the opportunity to travel frequently as a consultant and teaches finance courses quite often. During the summer, Nixon accompanied his father on a trip to Columbia, Ecuador, Dubai and Egypt.
“It’s difficult in a family with 10 children to get a lot of one-on-one time so when the opportunity came for David to accompany me on a business trip, I was excited,” said Clair Nixon.
“I’ve learned a lot about finance through my dad, but it was great just to spend some one-on-one time with him,” said Nixon. “Especially with me being in college and because I’m busy with football I can’t make it home during the summer – he’s busy and I am, too.”
While Nixon’s father was teaching in Columbia, Nixon was able to spend some time traveling and also had the opportunity to return to Ecuador where he served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“It was a real treat. I got to spend time with my first mission president, and I was able to see the president that I ended my mission with as well,” said Nixon. “I got to see lots of converts, and they were all doing well.”
The trip also took them to Dubai, a small nation in the Middle East, and Egypt. During his stay, Nixon had the opportunity to ski at an indoor ski resort on manufactured snow, and he also visited the pyramids and the Sphinx.
“We had a lot of time to talk about life, family, the gospel, schooling and his career,” said Clair Nixon. “It is a time I will always cherish. We are definitely close as a result of these and many other experiences during our travels together.”
Despite all of his sightseeing adventures, Nixon was able to learn from the people he encountered on his trip.
“They are a very loyal people, very strict in what they do,” said Nixon. “To see how devoted they are really impressed me. They’ll leave work and go and pray and then come back and keep working. It taught me about being devoted to a cause and really sticking with it. I think that applies to life in all aspects, football included. You have to have a goal in mind and be completely devoted to it and do all you can to accomplish it.”
Freshman Year and Mission
Playing in all 12 games, the 6-foot 3-inch, 223-pound Nixon started twice during his freshman season in 2003. He was an immediate contributor, recording 57 tackles, the fourth most on the team. He also was second on the team with 11 tackles-for-loss and had three sacks. After the season was over, Nixon left on his mission to Ecuador in 2004.
The first season he was on his mission was a difficult one for the BYU football team. In head coach Gary Crowton’s final year, the team finished with a 5-6 record that included a 52-21 loss to in-state rival Utah. The losing effort was the team’s third season in a row with a losing record, something that had not occurred since before LaVell Edwards was hired as head coach in 1972.
In addition, one of the final three schools he had considered attending, LSU, won the BCS National Championship in 2004.
Despite all of the troubles, Nixon says he never seriously reconsidered his decision to attend BYU.
“I was pretty firm with BYU,” he said. “I’ve always felt like this was the place for me, and I never really rethought it.”
While serving his mission, Elder Nixon was again recruited by schools that hoped BYU’s recent downturn would prompt him to reconsider his choice and possibly transfer to a different school. Even though the team had suffered through three difficult years and the outlook was less than bright, Nixon found a silver lining in the situation.
“Once I knew Coach Mendenhall had been hired as the head coach, I knew things were going to change,” said Nixon. “He had been my defensive coordinator before I left, and I knew he would expect a lot out of us and get a lot out of us. He’s done just that.”
The change Nixon knew would come has certainly arrived, and he has played a major role in the abrupt about-face of the program.
Returning Home – A Return to Excellence
After a 6-6 record in Coach Mendenhall’s first season in 2005, Nixon returned home from his mission and joined the team in preparation for the 2006 season. Playing along with other talented Cougar linebackers Cameron Jensen, Bryan Kehl, Markell Staffieri and Kelly Poppinga, Nixon was part of a defensive unit that ranked 10th nationally, giving up an average of only 14.7 points per game as the team roared to an 11-2 record, an undefeated Mountain West Conference championship and a convincing 38-8 win over Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl.
In 2007, Nixon became a full-time starter, and the success continued. The team went 11-2, beat UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl and finished ranked No. 14 in the nation. Nixon started all 13 games as an outside linebacker and notched a career-high 66 tackles on the season. He had 38 solo tackles and four sacks. Off the field, he was named Academic All-MWC for his work in the classroom.
Coming into his senior season in 2008 with expectations running high for the team is exactly where Nixon imagined the program would be.
“My junior year of high school was 2001, and the team did well that year, especially in the polls until late in the season,” said Nixon. “I knew that tradition here ran deep, and I believed we were going to keep rolling from there. Coach Mendenhall has changed the program for the best. It’s been a great ride, and I couldn’t ask for more.”
Nixon hasn’t set his sights on individual achievements and accolades, but rather on the success of the team.
“Personally, I’ve never really set too many [football] goals,” Nixon said. “It’s more something we’ve done as a collective [defensive] unit.”
When asked what they thought about David’s career at BYU, his parents replied, “Of course, it has been exhilarating. He followed three older brothers who also played sports. We think this has made him highly competitive.”
LONE STAR CONNECTION
Texas has become a fertile recruiting ground for the Cougars in the last 30 years, and many of the team’s most notable players in the last three decades hail from the Lone Star state. These five Texans have all made their mark at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Currently on the Team:
David Nixon (College Station, 2003-present) – Earned 2007 All-Mountain West Conference honors ... recorded 185 tackles through three years and has 10 sacks ... is a candidate for All-Mountain West Conference awards in 2008.
Michael Reed (Baytown, 2004-present) – Has totaled over 1,000 yards receiving in his BYU career ... caught four touchdowns in 2007 ... is an All-Mountain West Conference award candidate this year.
McKay Jacobson (Southlake, 2006-present) – Returned a punt 77 yards for the first BYU punt return touchdown in 113 games ... had 28 catches for 547 yards and 3 touchdowns ... currently serving in the Japan Sapporo Mission.
Former Players:
Margin Hooks (Waco, 1996-2000) – Named All-Mountain West Conference his junior year ... made 128 catches for 2,123 yards and 12 touchdowns in his BYU career ... had a streak of 24 consecutive games with a reception ... had five or more receptions in nine of the Cougars’ 11 games in the 1999 season.
Ty Detmer (San Antonio, 1988-1991) – Won the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Trophy and Davey O’Brien Award in 1990 ... set or tied over 62 NCAA records ... threw for over 15,031 yards and had 14,665 yards of total offense while at BYU ... led the Cougars to a 37-13-2 record as quarterback.
Other notable Texans over the years who have played for BYU include: linebacker Nathan Hall (1992-93) from Dallas, NG David Futtrell (1984-87) from El Paso, QB Steve Clements (1992-94) from Huntsville, DB Derwin Gray (1989-92) from San Antonio, kicker/punter Lee Johnson (1981-84) from The Woodlands, and the Mitchell brothers, Patrick (1991-94) and Brian (1987-90), both defensive backs from Waco.