Senior strong safety Aaron Dickson has played in every game since joining the Viking team where his father, Arthur Dickson, was a defensive standout (he still holds the career record for interceptions) from 1973-1976 under then head coach and now offensive coordinator Mouse Davis.
He has played linebacker and on special teams. But his career didn't really take off until this year when Coach Jerry Glanville moved him to strong safety, a move which has pleased both Dickson and Glanville.
“Aaron is a safety. I really kick myself that I didn't notice that last year. I didn't know the players well enough then. He weighed 235 and told me he was a linebacker. It took me awhile to realize that he was a safety,” says Glanville.
And Dickson is having fun at safety this year because once again he's a defensive back, where he was a two-time all-PIL choice for his work as a cornerback at Portland's Grant High School.
“Last year, I weighed 235, which is the most I ever weighed in my life. This year, I'm back to 219 which has made me faster,” says Dickson, who played behind outstanding outside linebackers Joey King and Jordan Senn during his first three years.
He had no problem playing behind King and Senn “because they were such great athletes. I had two great role models, especially with Jordan Senn. I liked his maturity, how he carried himself on and off the field. He did everything right. He was a hard worker, a great tackler and I knew from the day I saw him that he would play in the NFL (Senn currently is in his first year with the Indianapolis Colts),” says Dickson.
Still, Glanville kicks himself for not seeing Dickson's real potential last year.
“We only have one year with him. If I had two or three years with him as a safety, everyone would know who he is. He has exceptional athletic ability. He will hit you and he's intelligent. Oh, and he's a leader. How much more complete can you get than that,” Glanville says.
This season, he's earned a lot of playing time, and finally earned his first start against Sacramento State. Dickson ranks third on the team with 24 tackles, after getting seven against the Hornets. He also has an interception this season. Of course, Dickson continues to play on special teams as well.
Dickson says he can feel the difference in this year's team compared to last year.
“We're more knowledgeable on both sides of the ball this year. Last summer a lot of guy stayed around and worked out together. The result of that has been a real closeness in the locker room. Last year, everyone was tenser because we were learning the system, just trying to figure out where we were supposed to be. It's more fun this year,” he said.
As one of few players with extensive playing time last year, Dickson says he thinks his strength is his awareness, knowing the Vikings' defensive schemes. He prefers zone to man coverage because “you're not locked into one guy, you can react to whatever is going.”
He began playing football in the eighth grade as a receiver and defensive end and was a running back and outside linebacker at Grant before being converted to corner. Dickson prefers defense to offence because “you have to think all the time. You have to react to whatever the opposition gives you.”
Over the last couple of years, he feels he's matured a lot. “For the first two years, it was like ?wow', I'm here. The coaches have helped me a lot in deciding it was time to buckle down and get serious about life.”
Dickson had opportunities to play at Eastern Washington and Oregon State, but chose Portland State because it was close to home and both his mother and father went to school here. In fact, the Dickson family is almost a football dynasty at PSU. Besides his father, Dickson's older brother Aubre played a year of football at PSU and a couple of uncles also played Viking football during the 70's.
At PSU, he most enjoys meeting new people. “You have good friends in high school but I feel like in college I've met lifetime friends (friends like other Viking seniors Stanley Jackson and Johnathan Benjamin-Nichols, who've been with him all four years and who he describes as his “best friends “on the team). And by the way, he says he's also enjoyed the chance to get a college education.
The death of Arthur Dickson when Aaron was 12 years old helped create a strong bond with his mother Dorothy, a retired care provider, and elevated Aubre, who is 11 years older, to the role of surrogate father.
“The death of my dad really impacted me when I got to high school and the other guys had fathers around to help them decide about college and to push them to always do better,” says Dickson.
Aubre, who today is an acquisition manager seeking affordable housing projects for Homestead Capital, assumed that role. “Sometimes I forget he's my big brother because he been so much like a father to me,” Dickson said.
The highlight of his football career at PSU has just been the chance to play. “Coach Glanville has taught me a lot about playing. He's a wonderful teacher. It's an honor to be coached by a legend,” Dickson says.
He wants to work in the juvenile justice system after earning his PSU degree, helping younger people who haven't had his opportunities. “When I've had summer jobs some of the younger kids have sort of attached themselves to me (remember Glanville said Dickson was a leader). If I have this gift, I figure I should use it to help others.”
Does he wish his father were around to see him play?
“For two years, I wore his jersey beneath mine when I played. This year, I just hang it by my locker and visualize him being proud of me. He was an incredible athlete.”
