Antwan Dixon was a member of the Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion Team in 2019 and, as a rare disease patient with the rare blood disorder aplastic anemia, Antwan is inspired to use his platform as a college football student-athlete to give back to others in the Rare Disease Community. Antwan attended the Uplifting Athletes Leadership Development Conference in 2019 and 2020 and worked with his teammates and university football support staff to launch the Kent State Chapter. As the Kent State Chapter President, Antwan and his Golden Flashes teammates held their inaugural Lift For Life in July, 2019.
“Having the opportunity to give back to others, as a member of the Rare Disease Community myself, is very important to me. Also, having my teammates and coaches being all in so that we can raise money for raise disease patients is such a blessing. We are all proud to be part of a team that is working so hard to Tackle Rare Diseases.”
Antwan is a native of South Fort Myers, Fla. and played as a true freshman in 2015, registering 26 catches for 355 yards. He scored a touchdown in his very first collegiate game. He missed the next two seasons during his long and difficult battle with aplastic anemia, but returned to the field after a 36-month absence in 2018 and appeared in all 12 games with seven starts. He was second on the team in catches, receiving yards and caught a touchdown pass in his first game back against Illinois. Antwan was recognized as the 2018 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year and the Columbus Touchdown Club Male Athlete of the Year. In 2019 he played in all 13 games and had a season-high 99 yards and a touchdown in the Golden Flashes’ bowl victory.
