Tipoff is at 7 p.m. for an ESPN nationally televised contest; Pitt has won 16 of the series' last 23 matchups; Jamie Dixon has won more games at WVU Coliseum than any other Pitt coach.
Toughness. Intelligence. Unselfishness. Consistency. Teamwork. Success. Improvement. Those seven words describe the University of Pittsburgh basketball program led by head coach Jamie Dixon.
Using those ideals, Dixon has established and maintained a "Tradition of Excellence" and "Culture of Success" for Pitt basketball both on and off the floor. On the floor, Pitt has emerged as a national power. The Panthers rank among the nation's top-5 in winning percentage over the last 10 years and Pitt has claimed more conference titles (six) than any other school in the Big East. Player development is a cornerstone to the program as six players have won the Big East Most Improved Player Award in the last 11 seasons. Off the floor, Dixon has built a program that its fans can be proud of. Pitt is prominent in the community, donating countless hours of service for the greater good. In the classroom, Pitt has graduated 29 of its last 36 student-athletes and consistently achieves high NCAA Academic Performance Rate scores.
Beginning his 13th year at Pitt and ninth as its head coach, Dixon has stockpiled numerous coaching milestones and awards:
*Set the all-time NCAA Division I record for most wins after eight seasons as a head coach in 2011 with 216 victories. He also tied the record for most wins after seven seasons as a head coach in 2010 (188) and set the six-year mark in 2009 (163).
*Earned four college basketball National Coach of the Year honors: 2011 Sporting News COY, 2010 Jim Phelan Award COY, 2010 USA Basketball and 2009 Naismith COY.
*Guided Pitt to three Big East Championships including two outright Big East regular season titles (2003-04 and 2010-11) and one tournament championship (2008). The recent 2011 outright regular season title came in a league that placed an all-time record 11 teams in the NCAA Tournament.
*Led Pitt to its first two No. 1 seeds upon entering the NCAA Tournament (2009 and 2011).
*Became the only coach in NCAA Division I basketball to guide his team to the NCAA Tournament and win at least one game in each tournament over the last six seasons (2006-11).
*Guided Pitt to its first-ever NCAA Regional Final and Elite Eight appearance, a school-best 31-5 record, the school's first-ever No. 1 national ranking and the program's first-ever No. 1 seed upon entering the NCAA Tournament in 2008-09.
*Led the USA Basketball Under-19 Team to the 2009 FIBA World Championship Gold Medal and 9-0 record after inheriting an overhauled roster and assuming head coaching duties a month before the competition began.
*Concluded the 2010-11 season as the winningest coach in Big East history with a current .708 winning percentage in league games (109-45), while surpassing several legendary coaches including John Thompson, Jim Calhoun, Jim Boeheim and Lou Carnesseca.
*Became the first head coach in school history to lead Pitt to eight consecutive 20-win seasons, eight straight 10-plus win Big East regular seasons and eight straight NCAA Tournaments.
*Directed Pitt to three NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances (2004, 2007 and 2009).
*Named Madison Square Garden's College Basketball "Coach of the Decade" (2000-10).
*Guided Pitt to its second all-time Big East Championship title in 2008. The Panthers became just the second squad in league history to capture the crown after winning four games.
*Led Pitt to the Big East Championship Final in four of his first eight seasons as head coach.
*Is one of only nine coaches in NCAA Division I history to win over 100 games during the first four seasons of a coaching career.
*Reached both 100 wins and 200 wins at Pitt faster than any other head coach in school history. Dixon needed only 126 games to reach the milestone. Only 14 coaches in the history of college basketball reached 100 career victories faster than Dixon. His 200 victories were accomplished in only 255 total contests. He is one of only 13 coaches in NCAA Division I history to reach 200 victories in 255 games or less.
*Amassed a spectacular eight-year 98-38 Big East regular-season record.
*Tallied a 133-12 home record in his first eight seasons.
*Became the first rookie head coach in Big East history to both guide his team to the league's regular season title and earn Big East Coach of the Year honors in 2003-04. Dixon earned those accolades after leading the Panthers to the Big East regular season title and a school-record 31 wins, which rank as the third highest total in NCAA Division I history for a first-year head coach. Dixon also led Pitt on an 18-game win streak to begin the season, a streak which ranks as the third-best start for a rookie head coach in NCAA Division I history.
An outstanding talent evaluator who is nationally recognized for his coaching know-how, unquestioned character and integrity, recruiting skills, rapport with players and work ethic, Jamie Dixon was introduced as the University of Pittsburgh's 14th head basketball coach on April 15, 2003.
Dixon is a basketball coach who is intelligent, honest, confident, well-spoken and true to his word. He is a family man and complete coach who cares for his players and program to the highest degree. Under Dixon, student-athletes have consistently improved as players on the court and developed as citizens off the court. His players consistently graduate and the Pitt program continually achieves high APR scores. For Dixon, basketball is a lifestyle, not a job. He believes teamwork, offensive efficiency, defense, rebounding and taking good shots are the key ingredients to winning championships. That philosophy has paid off as Pitt consistently ranks among the nation's top offensive, defensive and rebounding squads.
Dixon's eight-year head coaching tenure at Pitt has seen the Panthers compile a remarkable 216-60 record, accumulate an 98-38 Big East regular season record and earn eight NCAA Tournament berths, including three Sweet Sixteen appearances (2004, 2007 and 2009) and one NCAA Regional Final (2009). His 216 victories set an NCAA Division I all-time record for best start to a coaching career after eight seasons and his .783 career winning percentage currently stands third nationally and the best active among Big East coaches. In addition, his .708 Big East winning percentage ranks as the best all-time mark in league play, surpassing such names as Georgetown's John Thompson, Connecticut's Jim Calhoun, Syracuse's Jim Boeheim and St. John's Lou Carnesseca.
Dixon's players at Pitt have excelled as well. Three (DeJuan Blair, San Antonio Spurs; Aaron Gray, New Orleans Hornets; Sam Young, Memphis Grizzlies) are currently playing in the NBA while four have been selected in the NBA Draft. Four players have earned consensus All-America honors, 15 were All-Region honorees, 10 earned major Big East awards and 12 scored over 1,000 career points.
Over the past 12 seasons, Dixon has been the one constant and essential figure in the Panthers' dramatic rise to national prominence. The three-year span from 2001-04 produced the winningest period in school history as Pitt won three consecutive Big East regular-season titles, advanced to three straight NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances, captured the program's first-ever Big East Tournament title in 2003 and compiled one of the nation's three best winning percentages (.846 with an 88-16 record) from 2001-04 including a 51-2 home record. In addition, the program opened its sparkling, 12,508-seat Petersen Events Center, the nation's best on-campus basketball venue.
Dixon has 20 years of major NCAA Division I coaching experience, including stints at Pitt (12 years), Northern Arizona (four years), Hawaii (three years) and UC-Santa Barbara (one year). Additionally, he has served as an assistant under a school's winningest coach in four different stints (winning percentage). His teams have won a combined 10 conference titles, advanced to the postseason during 15 different seasons and his student-athletes have earned five league player of the year awards. He helped turn destitute programs at Pitt, Hawaii and Northern Arizona into winners and has experienced a high level of accomplishment at several different levels.
Facing a major rebuilding project, he joined the Pitt staff in 1999 as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. In four short years, he helped turn the Pitt basketball program into a consistent national power. In 2000-01, the Panthers surged through the conference tournament, earning a surprising Big East Championship title game berth while winning five of their last seven contests. It was that year in Madison Square Garden that the college basketball world first took notice of the emerging Pitt program as the Panthers upset nationally ranked Syracuse, Notre Dame and a surging Miami team to earn the school's first-ever championship game berth. That strong finish concluded with a National Invitation Tournament berth, the school's first postseason appearance in four years.
The 2001-02 Pitt team built upon that momentum as it finished 29-6 and surpassed the school record of 25 victories set in 1973-74. Pitt won the Big East West championship, the school's first league title of any kind since the 1987-88 campaign, and made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in nine seasons (1992-93). The squad also became the first Pitt team to advance to an NCAA Sweet Sixteen since 1973-74 with two NCAA tournament wins over Central Connecticut State and California.
With all five starters and nine letterwinners back, the 2002-03 Pitt squad captured the school's first-ever Big East Tournament championship while making its third straight appearance in the title game. It finished 28-5 on the year and advanced to its second consecutive NCAA Sweet Sixteen. The Panthers also won their second straight Big East West title and co-Big East regular-season title with a second consecutive 13-3 league record. In addition, the Panthers concluded the inaugural season in the Petersen Events Center with a perfect 16-0 home record and ended the season on a 22-game home win streak.
Facing a major rebuilding project, he joined the Pitt staff in 1999 as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. In four short years, he helped turn the Pitt basketball program into a consistent national power. In 2000-01, the Panthers surged through the conference tournament, earning a surprising Big East Championship title game berth while winning five of their last seven contests. It was that year in Madison Square Garden that the college basketball world first took notice of the emerging Pitt program as the Panthers upset nationally ranked Syracuse, Notre Dame and a surging Miami team to earn the school's first-ever championship game berth. That strong finish concluded with a National Invitation Tournament berth, the school's first postseason appearance in four years.
The 2001-02 Pitt team built upon that momentum as it finished 29-6 and surpassed the school record of 25 victories set in 1973-74. Pitt won the Big East West championship, the school's first league title of any kind since the 1987-88 campaign, and made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in nine seasons (1992-93). The squad also became the first Pitt team to advance to an NCAA Sweet Sixteen since 1973-74 with two NCAA tournament wins over Central Connecticut State and California.
With all five starters and nine letterwinners back, the 2002-03 Pitt squad captured the school's first-ever Big East Tournament championship while making its third straight appearance in the title game. It finished 28-5 on the year and advanced to its second consecutive NCAA Sweet Sixteen. The Panthers also won their second straight Big East West title and co-Big East regular-season title with a second consecutive 13-3 league record. In addition, the Panthers concluded the inaugural season in the Petersen Events Center with a perfect 16-0 home record and ended the season on a 22-game home win streak.
In his first campaign as head coach at Pitt (2003-04), Dixon guided the Panthers to a school-record 31-5 slate which included the Big East regular season championship, a third consecutive NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance and the program's fourth straight Big East Tournament title game appearance. He became the first rookie head coach in league history to earn Big East Coach of the Year honors and guide his team to the regular season title. He led Pitt to a school record 27-3 regular season and its first Big East Tournament No. 1 seed in 16 years. Dixon also won the first 18 contests of his coaching career, a mark that ranks third in NCAA Division I history for most wins to begin a coaching career.
His second season as Pitt's head coach saw Dixon guide the Panthers to a school-record fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and the program's fourth consecutive 20-plus win season (20-9).
In 2005-06, Dixon guided Pitt to a fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance, 25-8 record and fifth berth in the Big East Championship Final over the last six seasons.
The 2006-07 Panthers ranked among the nation's top-10 teams all season and ended with a 29-8 record. Pitt advanced to NCAA Sweet Sixteen play for the fourth time in six seasons and achieved its sixth straight 20-win overall and 10-win league year. Additionally, Dixon reached 100 career wins faster than any other coach in school history and concluded the year with 105 career wins, the second-most wins accumulated over the first four seasons of a head coaching career.
The 2007-08 season saw Dixon's Panthers overcome the incredible adversity of losing two starters (Mike Cook and Levance Fields) and four total players to serious injuries. Nevertheless, under Dixon's leadership, the undermanned Panthers continued on. Fields returned for the team's final 13 games and Pitt went on to a successful season. Pitt captured the school's second Big East Tournament title, becoming just the second team in league history to win the tourney by registering four straight wins, advanced to its seventh straight NCAA Tournament and finished 27-10 overall.
Pitt's 2008-09 season proved to be its most successful to date as the Panthers achieved numerous program milestones including a school record tying 31-5 record, the school's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Regional Final and Elite Eight, the program's first-ever No. 1 national ranking (for three weeks) and Pitt's first-ever No. 1 seed upon entering the NCAA Tournament. In addition, the 2008-09 team led by veterans Levance Fields, Sam Young and DeJuan Blair, compiled a perfect 19-0 home record and set school records for attendance.
With only one starter back and preseason expectations low (unranked and picked to finish ninth by Big East coaches in the league's preseason poll) in 2009-10, Dixon guided the Panthers to a surprising 25-9 finish, a second consecutive second place finish in the Big East (13-5), seventh straight NCAA Tournament appearance and a No. 3 seeding upon entering the tournament.
Prior to Pittsburgh, Dixon served as an assistant coach at the University of Hawaii under legendary head coach Riley Wallace for the 1998-99 season and previously was an assistant under Ben Howland at Northern Arizona University (1994-98). He also coached as an assistant with Howland at the University of California-Santa Barbara (1991-92) under Jerry Pimm before moving on to the University of Hawaii for two seasons (1992-94).
While at Northern Arizona, Dixon helped lead the Lumberjacks to a 42-17 record over his last two years, including back-to-back 21-win seasons and a pair of Big Sky regular season championships. Northern Arizona led the nation for three consecutive seasons (1997-99) in 3-point field goal percentage and ranked among the nation's top two schools in overall field goal percentage during that span. In addition, Northern Arizona won 20-plus games in three consecutive seasons and advanced to postseason play two times, including the 1997 NIT and the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 1998. The 1998 Lumberjack squad was one of two teams to reach the NCAA Tournament and carry a team grade point average of 3.0 or better.
Howland and Dixon arrived at Northern Arizona for the 1994-95 season. After suffering through back-to-back 9-17 and 7-19 seasons, the staff guided Northern Arizona to the 10th all-time best one-year turnaround in NCAA Division I basketball history, improving the Lumberjacks to a 21-7 record in 1996-97.
Dixon completed his first stint as an assistant coach at the University of Hawaii from 1992-94 under head coach Riley Wallace. In 1993-94, he helped lead the Rainbows to their first-ever WAC championship and first NCAA Tournament appearance in nearly 30 years. Dixon was also instrumental in developing the Rainbows' perimeter players, including former Phoenix Suns guard and Buffalo, N.Y. native Trevor Ruffin. In his second stint at Hawaii (1998-99), he worked with the perimeter players including Denver Nugget Predrag Savovic and concentrated on recruiting both nationally and abroad. At UC-Santa Barbara, Dixon helped lead the Gauchos to an NIT appearance in 1992.
Dixon began his coaching career in 1989 as the head coach at TeAute College in New Zealand before serving as an assistant coach from 1989-91 at Los Angeles Valley Junior College where he helped Head Coach Jim Stephens lead the school to a Western States Conference Championship.
A North Hollywood, Calif. native, Dixon attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif., where he earned All-Del Rey League and All-California Interscholastic Federation honors. Dixon enjoyed a successful four-year career at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas where he played for Jim Killingsworth and led the Horned Frogs to two Southwest Conference titles both as a junior and senior. He earned All-SWC honors in 1987 and was an All-SWC Academic performer. Additionally, he led the SWC in assists as a senior, earned the Henry Iba Award as MVP of the All-College Tournament and was voted TCU's Senior Male Scholar-Athlete Award recipient. He was inducted into the TCU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007. Dixon received his bachelor's degree in finance from TCU in 1987 and earned a master's degree in economics from UC-Santa Barbara in 1992.
Dixon was selected in the 1987 NBA draft by the Washington Bullets. He went on to play professionally with the Lacrosse Catbirds of the Continental Basketball Association and also in New Zealand before getting involved with collegiate coaching.
Dixon is married to the former Jacqueline Corteway. The couple has one son, Jack Connor (9) and a daughter, Shannon Iwalani (7). His wife earned a Masters Degree in speech language pathology at the University of Pittsburgh in 2003.
The son of New York City natives Jim and Marge, Dixon spent much of his childhood in the Bronx. He has two sisters: the late Maggie Dixon, who served as head women's basketball coach at the United States Military Academy, and Julie Dixon, who is a Los Angeles attorney.
THE JAMIE DIXON FILE
Birthdate: November 10 in Burbank, Calif.
Hometown: North Hollywood, Calif.
Education: Master of Science-Economics, University of California-Santa Barbara, 1992; Bachelor of Business Administration-Finance, Texas Christian University, 1987; Notre Dame High School graduate (Sherman Oaks, Calif.), 1983.
Date announced as Pitt Head Coach: Tuesday, April 15, 2003.
Family: Wife, Jacqueline, son Jack Connor (9), daughter Shannon Iwalani (7); son of Jim & Marge Dixon who reside in Los Angeles; has two sisters: Julie, who is an attorney in Los Angeles and the late Maggie Dixon, who served as head women's basketball coach at the United States Military Academy (2005-06) and as an assistant at DePaul University.
Coaching Career:
Head Coach, University of Pittsburgh, 2003-present; Associate Head Coach, University of Pittsburgh, 1999-2003; Assistant Coach, University of Hawaii, 1998-99; Assistant Coach, Northern Arizona University, 1994-98; Assistant Coach, University of Hawaii, 1992-94; Graduate Assistant Coach, University of California-Santa Barbara, 1991-92; Assistant Coach, Los Angeles Valley Junior College, 1989-91.
Playing Career:
Notre Dame High School, Sherman Oaks, Calif.; Texas Christian University, 1984-87 (Named All-SWC in 1987 and SWC All-Academic honoree), led SWC in assists as a senior; Played professionally in the Continental Basketball Association (Lacrosse Catbirds) and overseas (New Zealand).
Noteworthy Awards:
2011 Sporting News National Coach of the Year; 2010 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year; 2009 USA Basketball National Coach of the Year; 2009 Naismith National Coach of the Year; 2009 USA Basketball Under-19 Head Coach, FIBA World Championship Gold Medal; 2009 USBWA District 2 Coach of the Year; 2009 Woodlands Foundation Spirit Award; 2008 Bob Prince Award winner recipient at Art Rooney Awards Dinner, Catholic Youth Foundation; 2007 TCU Athletic Hall of Fame inductee; 2004 Big East Coach of the Year; 2004 YMCA "Person of the Year."
*Dixon's grandparents met in Pittsburgh in the 1920s and lived in the city for five years. As a young boy, Dixon's grandparents would tell him stories about the Pittsburgh Pirates. Dixon instantly became a Roberto Clemente fan as he hung a poster of the All-Star on his wall. He has had several opportunities to throw out the first pitch at Pirates games.
*Dixon was Ben Howland's first hire at Pittsburgh and served as Howland's associate head coach for the last four seasons. Dixon served with Howland at both Pittsburgh and Northern Arizona, helping turn both programs around.
*As a player at TCU, Dixon made a halfcourt shot at the buzzer to defeat Texas and win the Southwest Conference championship. For years, the clip was used in SWC promotional videos and Dixon remains famous in Fort Worth.
*Dixon's playing career came to halt while playing professional basketball in Holland. After he collided with an opponent, he nearly died of a ruptured pancreas. He underwent several operations and did not eat for 50 days during a three-month hospital stay.
*As a youngster growing up in North Hollywood, Dixon had an acting career. He still is a card-carrying member of the Screen Actors Guild. In his early 20s, Dixon was in a Bud Lite commercial that featured a woman dunking on him. The commercial was one of the more popular basketball ads of the year and aired on virtually every basketball event. At age 12, Dixon fired a space gun in a commercial for Mattel. At age 10, he was the star of a TV commercial for Rice Krispies, pretending to celebrate a birthday while eating cereal. At age 5, he did a TV commercial for Volvo, sitting in the back seat and smiling while his dad played the driver. He was also in a Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial.
*Sister is the late Maggie Dixon, served as the head women's basketball coach at the United States Military Academy.
*Sister, Julie is an attorney for Los Angeles County.
JAMIE DIXON IN THE COMMUNITY
Jamie Dixon has been involved in a variety of community service activities on a national, regional and local basis. Here is a list of his community involvement and various honors while working with those organizations:
*Maggie Dixon Foundation.
*Created and designed the Coach Dixon Timeout Program, a yearlong series of workshops designed for his current players to have consistent, on-going contact with Pittsburgh area youth.
Maggie Dixon Heart Health Fair in Pittsburgh and NYC.
*CARE Foundation which sponsors the Maggie Dixon Classic, the national premier women's college basketball event held annually at Madison Square Garden.
*Sponsors Coaches vs. Cancer Auction and dinner evening in Pittsburgh each May.
*American Red Cross Heroes Breakfast keynote speaker.
*Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
*Kennometal United Way.
*Campaign Chairman-Junior Achievement.
*2004 YMCA "Person of the Year" Award winner.
*Boy Scouts of America.
*Frank McGuire Foundation Speaker, NYC.
*Bob Prince Award, Art Rooney Dinner and Catholic Youth Association.
*Woodlands Foundation Spirit of Golf Award.
*American Heart Association.
*Raises funds for The Caring Place, a community supported center that helps grieving children and families cope with the loss of a loved one.
*HOPE Network Hoops Classic, a charitable event that raises funds to support sports, fitness and recreation programs for disabled children and adults.
*Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
*American Diabetes Association.
*Variety Club-recognition for outstanding community service and fundraising in Pittsburgh.
*Keynote speaker at numerous non-profit organizations.
