Wisconsin Sports Network and WisSports.net recently named Big Foot’s Mason Dixon as the 2012 recipient of the Elroy “Crazylegs” Hirsch Award as the most outstanding senior running back in Wisconsin, part of the WSN Senior Football Awards.
Dixon has been extremely productive since starting as a sophomore, despite sharing time with First Team All-State running back Kenneth Walker his first two years. In fact, he broke the school rushing record previously held by Walker’s older brother Michael several weeks ago.
This season, despite seldom carrying the ball in the second half of most games, he’s racked up 2,080 yards and 40 touchdowns on only 168 carries. He’s averaging one touchdown every 4.2 carries and 12.4 yards per carry.
“He has had his biggest games against our best opponents when we were able to keep him in the game for parts of the second half,” head coach Rodney Wedig said. “He practices as hard as anyone and every play in practice he runs like it could be his last.”
Against Freedom in Level 4 he had 38 carries for 289 yards and 5 TD’s as the Chieftains needed every yard in a 45-22 win.
Finalists for the award were Dixon, Zeke Emerick of Jefferson, Alex Giles of Cedar Grove-Belgium, Austin Ramesh of Northland Pines, and R.J. Shelton of Beaver Dam.
Past winners of the award include Appleton North’s Steve Lichtfuss (2009), Kenosha Bradford’s Melvin Gordon (2010) and Waunakee’s Leo Musso (2011).
About the award
The award is named after “Crazylegs” Hirsch, a legendary athlete from Wausau High School who later starred at both the University of Wisconsin and the University of Michigan. Hirsch spent 12 seasons in professional football, including nine seasons with the Los Angeles Rams who moved him to end.
His 1951 season is one of the greatest receiving years in NFL history. He caught 66 passes for a record 1495 yards and 17 touchdowns. The yardage mark wasn’t broken for 19 years while his 17 touchdowns tied the record and wasn’t broken until 1984. He later served as the Wisconsin athletic director from 1969 to 1987, overseeing a revival of UW athletics.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968. Hirsch passed away in 2004.
