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Inside Nat Dixon's journey to SMU: Violent surroundings, Boston College football and the fuel behind his personal fire

Those who are from the Florida Panhandle understand. By this point, news of the hurricane's imminent landfall had made waves across the country, but despite the growing national concern, Nat Dixon wasn't that worried.

It could be bad, he figured, but it was just another hurricane, something you become accustomed to when you're a Florida native. He talked to his father, Raymond, on the phone before the storm arrived. It was enough to ease his concern, hundreds of miles away in Dallas.

Then on Oct. 10, 2018, Michael, brewing and building up for a week, unleashed his Category 4 power, leaving a trail of destruction that went right through Nat's hometown of Lynn Haven.