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Arizona State University senior linebacker Mike Nixon, the subject of last week’s New Times feature by Steve Jansen, was named a First Team Academic All-District VIII selection by ESPN The Magazine.
This is the third time that Nixon has received the honor — a first for a football student-athlete at ASU.
Nixon — who starred in three sports at Sunnyslope High School and played baseball in the Dodgers organization before attending ASU — is a far cry from the stereotypical dumb jock.
He’s a political science major and has a 4.07 GPA.
Nixon, 26, leads the Sun Devils defense with 49 tackles and has started in all of ASU’s games this season.
The last player to come close to earning three first-team honors was former Sun Devil offensive lineman Grayling Love.
Love was named to the first team in both 2004 and 2005, but only earned second-team honors in his 2003 sophomore season.
