Matthew McCord is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Eastmark for AZPreps365.

The Eastmark football program was coming off a 3A state title in its previous season, and it was led by successful head coach Scooter Molander.

Molander left during the offseason to become the new head coach at Desert Vista High School in Phoenix. With no head coach and not sure about the direction they wanted to go in, Eastmark brought in multiple coaches for interviews, but there was one coach who stood out.

In April, Travis Dixon was named as new head coach of the Eastmark football program, and there was no doubt that both Eastmark principal Jay Schnittger and athletic director Kraig Leuschner had found their guy.

“When he walked in the room ... there was a certain ‘it’ factor,” Leuschner said. “He’s got a pretty holistic knowledge of the whole game.”

Eastmark head coach Travis Dixon congratulates his team coming off the field in an AIA 4A Football State Championships game against Buckeye. (Matthew McCord/AZPreps365) 

Dixon hasn’t just gained his knowledge of the game rapidly in the last few years, he has instead gained it through decades of hard work and dedication, along with the help of role models along the way.

Dixon gives credit to a lot of people who helped him achieve his goals, but the love and knowledge he has received from his parents, not just in life, but in the game of football as well has helped him become who he is today.

“My father is a tremendous impact in my success, even still to this day as a grown man,” Dixon said. “He’s still mentoring me everyday. ... The levels of our conversation continue to grow as I’ve gotten older.”

Dixon knows that there should always be someone out there to critique you, and tell you right from wrong, and for him that is his parents.

Dixon grew up in Arizona and attended Hamilton High School in Chandler, where he starred as a dual-threat quarterback. At the end of his time there, he ended up committing to UNLV in hopes of continuing his dream of playing football professionally. 

But as an upperclassman at UNLV, Dixon switched from quarterback to safety in hopes of giving him a better chance moving forward.

“Unfortunately, things didn’t work out at that position (quarterback), and I kinda wanted to go a different direction,” Dixon said. “My mind switched -- maybe this is a better shot for me to maybe extend a career, to play football.”

But what Dixon didn’t know was switching to safety wouldn’t extend his playing career, but instead extend his coaching career.

After college, Dixon became the defensive backs coach at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, as well as Abilene Christian University where he learned numerous lessons along the way, and started to understand what it took to become a head coach.

“I’m finally in the door as a full-time guy. If this is where I'm at, (I'm going to) make my niche here as a DB guy,” Dixon said. “Just continue to grow and learn every day. ... It was good for me, I loved it.”

But Arizona was always home for Dixon, and that’s where he knew he would end up.

After settling back into Arizona, Dixon joined head coach Eddy Zubey and Higley High School, where he was the defensive coordinator last season. It was a great opportunity for Dixon to see what it was like to be a head coach at the high school level.

“Listening to different people talk, and asking how things work,” Dixon said. “Being around coach Zubey, and just being able to pick his brain…getting the opportunity to be ready for this opportunity that presented itself (Eastmark).” 

Out of all the lessons that Dixon has picked up on throughout his young career, being able to help his student-athletes not just as players, but as men has increasingly become very important.

“Being able to help young men understand it’s more than just football,” Dixon said. “How do you be successful in life, how do you handle adversity ... and just create a work ethic and discipline that can carry on down the road.”

This value has created trust among the players at Eastmark, including running back Coleman Samples, who has appreciated what Dixon has given to his team.

Eastmark head coach Travis Dixon shakes hands with Marcos De Niza head coach Anthony Figueroa after a win against Marcos De Niza, at Marcos De Niza High School in Tempe. (Matthew McCord/AZPreps365)

“Through the whole process of him becoming our head coach, I believed in him,” Samples said.

He’s not the only one, as the team has believed and bought into the goals and mindset of Dixon over the course of the season, constantly looking out for each other and always making sure to do the right thing on the field.

“Get one percent better as an individual, as a position group get one percent better,” Dixon said about what he tells his guys weekly. “That will allow us to be one percent better everyday as a team and be a program that’s always on the rise.”