Hixson was a 13th round selection (328th overall pick) in the 1971 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.
During his college career, Hixson completed 642 passes in 1,115 attempts for 7,179 yards, with 40 touchdowns and 56 interceptions. As of the end of the 2012 season, all of these numbers except touchdown passes stood as SMU school records.
