Rebecca Dixon

Class of
2016
Rebecca Dixon

Rebecca Dixon

“Becky was the pioneer in women’s role in sports broadcasting and shattered the “glass ceiling” for all of the women who have had the opportunity to enjoy the same career option. It is large part due to her talent, drive, professionalism and her Oklahoma persona.”
Joseph P. Moran III, 2015

Biography

Becky Dixon, president and owner of AyerPlay Productions, began her career in broadcasting at KTUL-TV in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she was both a news and sports anchor. In just six years, she was hired by ABC Sports and became the first woman to host a network sports show when she joined Frank Gifford as co-host of ABC’s Wide World of Sports. Dixon served as a broadcaster for the Super Bowl, Winter Olympics, World Gymnastics Championships, college football, and the Triple Crown of Horse Racing. She also co-hosted the Dallas Cowboys’ Jerry Jones Show.

Dixon later returned to Tulsa and founded Dixon Productions, launching the television special Oklahomans. The show was the first statewide broadcast of its kind and for more than two decades, through 2013, was instrumental in promoting and celebrating the achievements of Oklahomans. In 1994, Dixon joined forces with communications pioneer Ed Taylor to form AyerPlay. The company broke new ground on the Internet with one of the first live webcasts when Dixon co-hosted a World Aids Day Symposium in conjunction with Harvard University. Today, AyerPlay provides integrated marketing services to 7,000 clients nationwide. In 2014, AyerPlay entered the publishing world and Dixon authored her first book, Liberty: Reflections of an Oklahoma Glass Company and its Family.

In 2016, Dixon was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, receiving her state’s highest honor. Two years later she served as an emcee for the Hall of Fame event with Jane Jayroe Gamble. Dixon has received numerous industry awards, including the Saidie Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Women in Communications and the Katie Award from the Press Club of Dallas, Texas. She is a member of the University of Tulsa Communications Hall of Fame.

Over the years, Dixon has been very involved in her local community of Tulsa, as well as the state of Oklahoma. She is currently servings as Arts Alliance Tulsa Campaign Chair, was recently chairman of EDGE, one of Philbrook Museum’s major fundraising events, and was named honorary chairman for the YWCA Women of the Year Pinnacle Awards. Dixon also has served on a number of boards of directors, including the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, Sutton Avian Research Center, and the Pencil Box, and is the former communications chair for the Tulsa Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women.

Dixon lives in Tulsa with her husband, Patrick Keegan, and has two grown children, Jennifer and Dan.

Fun fact

Dixon became the first woman to host a network sports show, joining ABC Sports, as co-host of Wide World of Sports, with Frank Gifford.

Oklahoma connections

Dixon was born in Oklahoma and has represented the state on a national broadcast level for many years.

Hometown

Lenapah

Profession

Journalism

Presenter

Born

1951

Died

Relevant Exhibits

Green Country: From Lenapah to Prague

Green Country: From Lenapah to Prague

This exhibit features the lives of 18 Oklahoma Hall of Fame inductees from the 18-county region in northeast Oklahoma.