Jo Nixon joined the Prairie View A&M coaching staff in the winter of 2015 and will serve as PVAMU’s defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator. Before arriving at Prairie View A&M, Nixon previously served on the staff of the Canadian Football League’s Edmonton Eskimos.
The St. Petersburg, Fla. native brings 16 years of coaching experience and an extensive background to Prairie View. Nixon spent the 2014 season across the border as special assistant to the head coach for the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos. Under his watch, the Eskimos completed the best turnaround in CFL history as they improved their win total by nine games as they finished the season with a 13-6 mark. With running back John White leading the way, the team finished the 2014 season second in first-downs rushed, net yards rushing (2,459), average yards rushed per game (136.6) and first in average gain per rush (6.4 yards).
Prior to moving across the Canadian border, Nixon had two stints at Stillman College as he served as the defensive line and special teams coach in 2013 and the linebacker coach and recruiting coordinator in 2010. During his second stint at the university in 2013, Dondre Purnell earned All-SIAC first team honors at kick returner.
During the 2011-12 campaigns, Nixon coached at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, Ark. and served as the secondary coach in 2011 and was elevated to defensive coordinator in 2012. Cornerback Myron Johnson earned a spot in the FCS Senior Bowl in 2011 in addition to having two players earn all-conference honors.
Nixon’s first tenure in the SWAC took place at Alabama State in 2009 as the team’s defensive coordinator. His defensive unit ranked third in the SWAC in total defense, scoring defense and led the league in rushing defense while linebacker Adrian Hardy and defensive back Rechard Johnson earned All-SWAC first team honors.
During a four-year stint at Langston University from 2005-08, Nixon would make a name for himself as the defensive coordinator, secondary coach, special teams coordinator and assistant head coach. The Lions went 21-11 during his tenure and reached the NAIA national quarterfinals in 2008. Nixon’s defensive units ranked sixth (2006), fifth (2007) and second (2008) in the NAIA in total defense. He coached 14 all-conference players, one conference player of the year and one NAIA All-American in Darnell Brown.
Before Langston, Nixon spent two years (2003-04) as the defensive line coach at Central Oklahoma University in Edmond, where he coached four all-Lone Star Conference players and was part of UCO’s 2003 NCAA Division II playoff team that finished 9-3. He also coached two seasons (2001-02) as a defensive line coach at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami, Okla., and helped lead the Norse to a 17-6 two-year record, the 2002 SWJCFC championship and the Red River Bowl Championship. During his time at Northeastern, Nixon coached Michael Pruitt, a 2002 NJCAA All-American and the NJCAA Defensive Player of the Year, as well as eight NCAA Division I players and three future NFL Draft picks.
Nixon began his collegiate coaching career in 1998 as a student assistant working with the secondary at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Ala. as he coached two NFL draft picks in Eurious Parker and Delvin Hughley. He also spent a year as defensive coordinator and secondary coach at St. Petersburg High School in St. Petersburg, Fla. and Florida State University High School in Tallahassee, Fla.
Nixon, a member of both the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and Black Coaches Association, (BCA), produced a video series in 2008 for the AFCAs monthly magazine covering 3-4 defenses, served as a participant in the AFCA Professional Development Series from 2007-10 and coached the linebackers for the West Team in the inaugural Russell Athletic/HBCU Senior Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., in 2009. Nixon earned his bachelor’s degree in broadcast and mass communications from Central Oklahoma in 2006 and is currently pursuing his master’s degree in college student personnel from Arkansas Tech.
He is a former football standout at Florida State University and a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and Prince Hall Shriners.
| THE NIXON FILE |
| Hometown: | St. Petersburg, Fla. |
| Wife: | Tiffany |
| Children: | Jahnise (14) |
| College: | Central Oklahoma (2006) |
| High School: | Lakewood |
COACHING EXPERIENCE
2015 Prairie View A&M, defensive tackles/recruiting coordinator
2014 Edmonton Eskimos, special assistant to the head coach
2013 Stillman College, defensive line/special teams coach
2011-12 Arkansas Tech, defensive coordinator/secondary coach
2010 Stillman College, linebackers/recruiting coordinator
2009 Alabama State, defensive coordinator
2005-08 Langston University, defensive coordinator/secondary/special teams
2003-04 Central Oklahoma, defensive line
2001-02 Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, defensive line
