Culver-Stockton’s Kyle Dixon Earns NAIA First Team All-American Honors
Canton, MO – Culver-Stockton senior wide receiver Kyle Dixon has been named a First Team All-American at the NAIA level by the American Football Coaches Association. In his second season with the Wildcats, Dixon recorded 83 receptions for a total of 1,282 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. He averaged 116.5 yards per game. “It means a lot to me.” Says Dixon. “Not many guys who played in college can say they got on the All-American team, period, so it’s definitely an honor.”
He also noted the recognition shines a light on the program, “Awesome to be able to put a little bit of a spotlight on Culver as well. I think the fact I’ve played two years of football makes it more of a cool story to tell one day.”
“It’s been awesome,” says Head Coach Tom Sallay as he speaks about having Dixon the last two years. “Obviously, because of his talent, but he’s great because of everything else he does. He goes to class every day, he’s a great teammate, he works hard, all the stuff that makes you an All-America, he’s really good at.”
Dixon joined Culver-Stockton College in 2024 after transferring from Georgia-Gwinnett College. Dixon says the “Family Atmosphere” drove him to Culver-Stockton. “The reason I came to Culver was the family atmosphere.” Dixon previously played collegiate baseball but wasn’t happy with his progress. “Unfortunately, I didn’t play much. I had regressed a lot as a pitcher at that point. I didn’t enjoy pitching anymore, so I decided to make the jump to football.” He continues on the coaching staff, and everything that brought him to “The Hill”, Culver was exactly like GGC. The coaches truly care; they make an effort to build relationships with you. Those two things are extremely important to me.”
He also received First Team All-Conference honors in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. His 83 receptions ranked fourth in the NAIA, while his 1,282 receiving yards placed him third nationally. The next Heart Player had 31 fewer receptions.
Dixon also etched his name into the Culver-Stockton record books this season, becoming the first Wildcat football player to record two 1,000-yard receiving seasons. “I’ll be honest, I didn’t know I was,” Dixon said. His career totals now stand at 2,394 receiving yards—second all-time in program history—and 24 receiving touchdowns, which rank third. This season alone, his 83 receptions rank fourth for a single season, while his 1,282 yards rank third. Reflecting on his place in program history, Dixon said, “It’s pretty crazy. There’ve been several great receivers that have come through Culver, so it’s always an honor to be mentioned in the same breath.”
Dixon is the 11th Culver-Stockton football athlete to earn this accolade and the eighth to receive First Team honors. The last players to be named All-Americans were Andrew Rupcich (First Team) and Dalton Hoffman (Second Team) in the 2021 season. “Having a player that’s All-American is always awesome.” Says Coach Sallay, “When there are guys like Kyle, and Rupe, and Hoffman, who did everything right and worked super hard, they tried to perfect their craft during their entire careers.”
During his time at Culver-Stockton, Kyle Dixon has also drawn the attention of NFL scouts and looks to pursue a professional career. “I’m pursuing professional football. I had nearly all the NFL teams visit this fall. I recently got my agent.” Dixon looks to continue developing and working towards his goals. “Now for me, it’s just developing myself more as an athlete in preparation for a Pro Day in March and a potential showcase bowl in the next 2-3 weeks. After that, I’ll be up training in Chicago leading up to the Pro Day to prepare.”
Coach Sallay says it’s awesome for Dixon’s opportunity. “It’s awesome for him, for our program. It’s just a fun thing to do because it gives you something to look forward to every weekend.” Coach Sallay, a Chicago Bears fan, recalls a conversation with Kyle Dixon about the opportunity: “I told him, and Coach Melton told him too. We’ll cheer for you if you go to any team, except for the Packers. We might root for you, but we’re not rooting for them.”
As opportunities arise, Dixon says he’ll miss hanging out at Culver-Stockton. “Honestly, just being around the guys and coaches every day. If you know me, I don’t do a lot outside of work and football, so it was a nice mental reset for me to get to go out there and just have fun with the boys every day. They are all what made Culver a fun experience for me, so I’ll 100% miss hanging out with them and the coaches.”
Congratulations to Kyle Dixon, and good luck in your future endeavors.
