With his speed stealing bases and acrobatic defensive skills, Otis Nixon was a fan favorite as an Atlanta Braves outfielder. Then, he began making headlines for the wrong reasons.
Nixon, whose post-baseball life included a foundation to help kids, helped spark the Braves' worst-to-first season in 1991. But he was suspended for 60 days after failing a drug test and missed the team's trip to the World Series. Later, there were arrests for drugs and writing bad checks.
Over the weekend, Nixon’s story took another twist. He left his Cherokee County home Saturday morning after telling his girlfriend he had a tee time at a local golf course, according to police. But he never arrived.
On Sunday, Woodstock police used social media to ask for the public's help in finding Nixon. And Monday afternoon, the 58-year-old was found safe, and a police spokeswoman said Nixon was not facing criminal charges. But police declined to answer the big question: Where was he?
“Otis Nixon has been located and is safe,” Woodstock police posted on Twitter. “We appreciate the assistance from the public and media.”
Messages left for Nixon and his brother were not returned Monday. A message left for the Otis Nixon Foundation was also not returned.
A North Carolina native, Nixon was playing for the Montreal Expos when he was traded to the Braves on April 1, 1991, nine days before the start of what would be a historic season.
Through his first eight seasons in major leagues, he hit .228. But in his breakout season with the Braves, he moved into the starting lineup and set a club record with 72 stolen bases. But his season was cut short when he failed a drug test in September, testing positive for cocaine. He missed the postseason, where the Braves lost in Game 7 of the World Series to Minnesota, and instead watched the playoffs from a drug-rehabilitation clinic.
It was Atlanta’s introduction to Nixon’s struggles with staying clean and avoiding trouble. During his next two seasons with the Braves, he stole 150 bases in 378 games and helped spark the team’s unprecedented streak of 14 consecutive division titles.
Despite his troubles off the field, it was a 1992 leap against the outfield wall that fans remember about Nixon. "The Catch" was a jump over the right-center wall that robbed Pittsburgh's Andy Van Slyke of a home run and preserved a 13-game winning streak for the Braves.
After retiring from baseball in 1999, Nixon continued to make off-field headlines. In 2004, he was arrested in Gwinnett, DeKalb and Fulton counties on various charges. He was sentenced to probation in those cases.
In a 2009 interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Nixon discussed his book titled “Keeping it Real: The Catch” and described himself as a recovering addict.
“If you look at it, you’ve got somebody who once stole six bases in a game, made one of the greatest catches, failed a drug test, made millions of dollars, lost millions of dollars, and you’re talking to him right now,” Nixon said. “I’m one of those who makes people want to listen to what I’m going to say. I’ve got a story to tell.”
In 2013, Nixon was arrested in Cherokee County when he was found with a crack pipe in his pocket and a crack rock in his vehicle during a traffic stop. And in 2015, Nixon was booked into the Fulton County jail on misdemeanor charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and permitting an unlicensed person to drive.
Nixon has made appearances as a motivational speaker through the Otis Nixon Foundation, based in Acworth. The foundation’s goal is to break the cycle of poverty and drug addiction while emphasizing the importance of education.
“The Otis Nixon Foundation began 10 years ago when Otis was in a dark period of his life,” the website states. “After a great run and great career, he fell hard into depression and drug addiction. He felt totally alone and desperate before being restored through his relationship with Christ.”
The foundation will hold its yearly golf tournament fundraiser on May 22 at Marietta Country Club.
