Dixon mourns loss of sister

One month ago, Army’s women’s head basketball coach Maggie Dixon rode off the court on the… One month ago, Army’s women’s head basketball coach Maggie Dixon rode off the court on the shoulders of cadets after winning the school’s first-ever Patriot League title.

She was on top of the world, with only the brightest of futures ahead of her.

On Friday, those same cadets and more all gathered to honor the first-year head coach one final time.

The 28-year-old Dixon died Thursday at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y. after collapsing in a friend’s house on Wednesday in West Point, N.Y. Her family surrounded her as she passed away.

Dixon, the youngest sister of Pitt men’s basketball head coach Jamie Dixon, leaves behind a newfound family at West Point in addition to her immediate relations.

“From the time Maggie arrived here, her enthusiastic ‘no limits’ approach earned her the respect and love of everyone,” West Point superintendent Lt. Gen. William J. Lennox Jr. said.

“She consistently displayed great leadership and served as an outstanding role model for those both on and off her team. She was a leader of character with a commitment to excellence who set the example in all she did.”

The Westchester County medical examiner’s office revealed the cause of death as a cardiomegaly with a mitral valve prolapse – in other words, an enlarged heart with a valve that failed to function properly.

The loss of Ms. Dixon stretched back to the University of Pittsburgh, where Pitt Athletics Director Jeff Long said in a statement that he considered her a member of the Pitt family.

Pitt Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg shared Long’s thoughts.

“The entire University of Pittsburgh community shares the Dixon family’s deep sense of loss,” he said. “Maggie was not only an exceptional basketball coach. She was a warm, energetic, upbeat person, and she will be sorely missed.”

Dixon captured the nation in her first season at Army, leading her team to its first trip to the women’s NCAA Tournament after accepting the head-coaching job only a week before practice began.

Cara Enright, one of Army’s star women’s basketball players, expressed exactly what Coach Dixon meant to them.

“Coach Dixon made us love the game even more and we played our hearts out every single time we stepped on the court,” Enright said. “She showed us how to be winners on the field and off.

“She would tell us to use what you’ve learned here at the academy and apply it to basketball.”

Maggie and Jamie Dixon held a close relationship. Jamie led his youngest sister into coaching and was the proudest of anyone when he heard the news of her winning the Patriot League title.

Immediately after, she flew to New York City to be with Jamie and his Pitt Panthers behind the bench as they played in the Big East Tournament – a testament as to how close the two actually were.

Together they became the first brother-sister combination to coach at the Division I level at the same time, and the first brother and sister to coach in the NCAA Tournament during the same year, too.

“Maggie touched so many people beyond basketball,” Jamie Dixon said. “Our family has received an outpouring of sympathy from across the country and we are deeply appreciative.

“As her older brother, I know she looked up to me. But I always looked up to her, too, and it’s obvious that a lot of other people did as well. We thank everyone for their continued support and prayers.”

The Dixons have asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Notre Dame High School or the Army Athletic Fund.

Contributions for Notre Dame High School can be made by contacting Sharon Marciniak at (818) 933-3600 or 1365 Riverside Dr., Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. Donations to the Army Athletic Fund can be made by contacting Matt Borman at (845) 938-2322 or 639 Howard Road, West Point, NY 10996.