In loving memory of John Clay Dixon, 1957 – 2026

Late in the evening of Wednesday, April 8, Arrowhead Pride’s fearless leader and managing editor, John Dixon, passed away after a valiant fight with cancer. His obituary can be read here.

Here are ways you can honor John’s life.

A Visitation will be held on Tuesday, April 14 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., followed by a Celebration of Life at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15. Both to be held at Newcomer’s White Chapel, 6600 NE Antioch Road, Gladstone, Missouri. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) or the American Lung Association.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

John left a strong impression on the Arrowhead Pride community, especially on the staff he worked with and mentored over eight years. He wore many hats during his time, from deputy editor, executive editor, and — for a time shorter than he deserved — managing editor.

The community and some staff shared appreciation and love for John last week before he passed on. As a team, we will miss him dearly:

Matt Stagner, senior contributor

I’ll never forget the first time we met in person– an AP meet up in St Joe. John was the most genuine and enthusiastic person there, without a drop of ego or pretentiousness. With John it felt like family– no cliques, just a shared love of this team and of the work.  Our last conversation was just as memorable with all of the brightness and sense of humor that made John…John. There’s no replacing RDOguy.

Jared Sapp, editing contributor

My favorite memory of John is a time years ago when he was leaving town on a big road trip at the same time Pete was going to upstate New York. Both were going to be without internet service.

They told the higher ups that they didn’t need to step in for the absence of both editors and that Ron and myself could handle the site for a week. John had done so much to help me grow as a writer even before I officially joined the AP Staff. Knowing I had reached that level of trust meant the world.

It was a very slow time, but Ron and I managed to get content up every day. When John was able to log in from somewhere near I think the Grand Canyon, he made sure to tell me the site looked great and he was happy with the job we had done. That affirmation given what AP meant to him was the best.

When I talked to him on 3/28, it was the same feeling as he told us what a great job he thought we were doing in his absence. No matter what was on his plate, he was never too busy to build other people up.

Rocky Magana, contributor

It was still pretty early in my time with AP, and Pete assigned me some audio to transcribe and write up for Nick Allegretti. It was just a run of the mill presser, but when I turned it in, John messaged me and told me it was the best piece I’d written yet for AP. And when I told him I was surprised because it was nothing special, he told me that I didn’t need to try to hit a home run with every single article, that sometimes the content only warranted a single, and there was no reason to swing for the fences when all we needed to do was get on base and keep the line moving.

It really stuck with me, and helped me get out of my head as a writer and focus more on the content and the clarity of the story and not on stress out over the quality of the prose. It made me a better journalist. I loved that he pushed me to be better every day. He called me out when I messed up, and defended me in the comments. To this day, whenever I’m writing an article, I hear his voice in the back of my head reminding me of the things he taught me.

“Don’t forget to link your sources.”
“Don’t make any assumptions about the readers knowledge of football or the Chiefs. Write as though the reader has never heard of the Chiefs before and is just now finding the team for the first time.”

He might have passed, but his voice will stay with me with every word I write.

Maurice Elston, contributor

When I joined AP, I had only written three sports articles—I was a true rookie in every facet of sports writing. I met John and told him I wanted to be the best writer I could be, and he simply said, “I’ll help you.”

He became my mentor. While he corrected me—a lot, he also encouraged me and validated my growth along the way. He’s an amazing communicator, and I’ve learned so much from him.

I’m going to miss his encouragement, his coaching, and that infectious smile. I’m not who am today without John. This one hurts.

Nate Christensen, contributor

My favorite John moment personally was when he reached out and wrote an email to me about a fanpost I had years ago. I can’t remember exactly what it said but it was nice and I really appreciated that he took the time to do that.

I’m guessing a lot of us had a similar experience to that

Kramer Sansone, contributor

When I first joined Arrowhead Pride I was always concerned when I got a notification or text from JD because my mind to immediately… oh I messed something up. That wasn’t the case, John gave me so many writing tips and was extremely helpful and influential to me by helping me grow as a writer. I am forever grateful.

John truly knew how to make me sound like a good to great writer. He was one of my biggest supporters defending me in the comments section from our Madden Simulation articles or from when I would pick against the Chiefs in our weekly pickems. He 100% harassed me any chance to make fun of the team I pledged an alliance towards.

John will be forever in my heart.

Dakota Watson, contributor

John was the most respectful and kind mentor I think anyone could have. I was new getting into this like most of us. My goal was to just not sound incompetent when I started. John always encouraged me that I am a good writer, while also pushing me to be a better one in the most respectful and encouraging ways. He gave me opportunities to write articles outside of my niche, and again, encouraged me that I was doing a good job and my writing was of good quality. Even through this trial and battling cancer, I think he showed a great amount of dignity and humility. His true character shined through to the end. He’ll be greatly missed by all of us.

Ricko Mendoza, contributor

John Dixon was one of the best, most genuine people I’ve ever had the privilege of working with. Not only did he make me a better journalist, but he also found ways to inspire me as a person, even if he didn’t realize it.

I once made a mistake transcribing a practice quote for an article during the 2025 Chiefs playoff run. It wasn’t huge, but it was enough to change the meaning of the original quote. Luckily, John’s eagle-eye for editing caught it, fixed it, and then reached out to let me know. When I thanked him, he simply replied, “Don’t worry, we’re all in this together.”

For some reason, that stuck with me. At the time, I was also coaching a high school basketball team that went on to win our city’s Division II championship. The phrase “We’re all in this together” became our playoff rallying cry for the team.

John’s attention to detail was incredible, but what I hope he realized is that those small interactions are what made the biggest impact on a lot of people. I’ll always be grateful for the time I had with him at AP, and I hope his legacy continues to live on forever.

Please help us remember a great man, mentor, father, husband, grandfather and friend in John Dixon. As a team, we appreciate your contributions to the Arrowhead Pride community, whether your first comment was 10 years ago or last week.

Admittedly, John probably appreciated you more.