Buck Dixon was born in 1904 in Provo, Utah. He received his B.S. degree from Brigham Young University in 1926 and returned to earn his master’s degree in 1939. During his college athletic career he won fifteen varsity letters in football, basketball, track, and tennis. He was named all-conference in football, basketball, and tennis. In 1924 he was awarded the Anderberg medal as the foremost all-around athlete at BYU and was also named Utah’s Outstanding Athlete.

After graduating from BYU, Buck served for two years as Weber High School’s first coach. He returned to BYU in 1928 as an assistant to head football coach Ott Romney. During his forty-five years at BYU his tennis teams won the state championships several times, and he organized the first golf team.

In 1957 Buck was given the Dale Rex Memorial Award for his contribution to amateur athletics in Utah, and in 1972 he was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame.

He married Helen Chipman on May 27, 1931, and all four of their children have graduated from BYU.