Though the terms of the contract are not being disclosed, through his agent Dix's deal is being called "record breaking". Walter Dix, the former Coral Springs High and Florida State star, is the only athlete on the Olympic team this year with a chance to win three Olympic medals in Bejing. He qualified in the 100, 200, and 4x100 Relay.
After last year's collegiate season, Dix made the controversial decision to finish out his career with Florida State--forgoing an assured pro contract. As a result of that decision he ended up with a third NCAA team title, eighth individual title, a college degree, qualified in two events at the Olympic Trials, and now a huge professional contract from Nike. It seems that Walter made the right decision and should serve as an awesome role model here for aspiring young athletes to stick by your school and your studies!
"We couldn’t be happier for Walt and his family, " says Seminoles coach Bob Braman, "What is so great is that he did it the right way by prioritizing education and getting his degree. I don’t know if you’ll ever see an athlete like Walter Dix ever again. In this day and age where collegiate athletes are in a rush to take the money in run, here is an elite athlete who put off going pro in order to get his degree because he believed in himself and his abilities and he knew that the offers would still be there and in the end he was right."
Walter will join a star-studded team of Nike athletes, spanning multiple sports. And of course, Nike's investment is all about Bejing. He will be a shining star for them to hopefully grab some headlines once the Games kick up next month. Dix said about signing with the Swoosh: "This definitely shows where I’m at in my career. You have to be a pretty elite athlete to be in the same family as Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Tiger Woods."