University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Former Golden Eagle Football Standout John Nix Named to AFL's All-Rookie Team
6/30/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
June 30, 2007
Former Southern Miss standout defensive lineman John Nix has been named as one of the defensive lineman on the Arena Football League's All-Rookie Team for this season. This is the highest honor a rookie can receive in the league.
Nix, who played at Southern Miss from 1997-2000, finished with 10.5 tackles, two tackles for loss, tied for the team lead with two sacks and had two hurries for the New York Dragons (5-11).
During his time at Southern Miss, he helped lead the Golden Eagles to one of the best four-year runs (33-15) in school history, including two Conference USA championships and four-straight bowl appearances (1997 Liberty Bowl, 1998 Humanitarian Bowl, 1999 Liberty Bowl and 2000 GMAC Bowl), including three wins.
He compiled 146 total tackles over his career, including 65 unassisted tackles, nine sacks and 22 tackles for loss.
Nix was drafted in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys and played two seasons there, before playing for San Francisco and Cleveland (2003) and with Arizona (2004). He spent one summer with the Amsterdam Admirals (NFL Europe) in 2004 and played a season in the Canadian Football League with the Montreal Alouettes (2005).
The preseason No. 24 ranked Golden Eagles finished 9-5 last season and won the Conference USA East Division Championship. Southern Miss defeated Ohio University, 28-7, in the GMAC Bowl, marking its ninth bowl appearance in the past 10 years. The Golden Eagles return 40 letterwinners, including 17 starters, from last year's team and open their season on Sept. 1 against Tennessee-Martin at 6 p.m., at "The Rock".
For ticket information, call the Southern Miss Ticket Office, 1-800-844-TICK or 601-266-5418.
