Herman Michael Hickman (October 1, 1911 – April 25, 1958) was an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

player and coach. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

and professionally in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...

. Hickman served as the head football coach at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

from 1948 to 1951, compiling a record of 16–17–2. He later was a television and radio analyst and broadcaster, a writer, and a professional wrestler. Coach

Robert Neyland Robert Reese Neyland (; February 17, 1892 – March 28, 1962) was an American football player and coach and officer in the United States Army, reaching the rank of Brigadier general (United States), brigadier general. He served three stints as ...

held Hickman in high regard. "When one (football writer) said Hickman was 'the best guard the South ever produced,' Coach General Bob Neyland snarled, 'Herman Hickman is the greatest guard football has ever known.'" Hickman was inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

as a player in 1959.

Early years

Hickman was born on October 1, 1911, in

Johnson City, Tennessee Johnson City is a city in Washington, Carter, and Sullivan counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, mostly in Washington County. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 71,046, making it Tennessee's eighth-most populous cit ...

. Hickman went to

Baylor School Baylor School, commonly called Baylor, is a private school, private, coeducational college-preparatory school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1893, the school's current campus comprises 690 acres and enrolls students in grad ...

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

, where he played fullback.http://www.profootballresearchers.org/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/19-04-710.pdf

Playing career

Tennessee

Hickman went to the

, playing for the

Tennessee Volunteers football The Tennessee Volunteers football program (variously called "Vols," "UT" and "Big Orange") represents the University of Tennessee (UT). The Vols have played football for 132 seasons, starting in 1891; their combined record of 870–415–53 ( ...

team from

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

. Hickman played as a tackle during his sophomore season, but was considered small (5'10" 230 lbs) and was shifted to

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

by his junior year. He was named to

Grantland Rice Henry Grantland Rice (November 1, 1880 – July 13, 1954) was an American sportswriter and poet known as the "Dean of American Sports Writers". He coined the famous phrase that it was not important whether you “won or lost, but how you playe ...

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

team in 1931, on the heels of his performance in the

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

(NYU) charity game at

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...

. NYU once was at the 5-yard line and ran four plays at Hickman, turning the ball over on downs at the 23. Hickman was also named to the All-Southern team in 1931, joining Vols teammate Gene McEver. Describing coach Neyland's penchant for defense, Hickman said "If Neyland could score a touchdown against you he had you beat. If he could score two, he had you in a rout."

NFL

Following his time at Tennessee, Hickman played for the

from 1932 to 1934. He was named an All-Pro at left guard in 1933.

Coaching career

Hickman was an assistant at

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University (WFU) is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The R ...

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...

and the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

before earning the head coaching position at

in 1948. He led the

Yale Bulldogs The Yale Bulldogs are the college sports teams that represent Yale University, located in New Haven, Connecticut. The school sponsors 35 varsity sports. The school has won two National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA national championships ...

to a 16–17–2 record before resigning in 1951.

Other activities

Hickman had a reputation as a great dinner speaker. He also participated in television broadcasts of football and in radio and television panel shows. As a writer, he came to be known as "Poet Laureate of the Little Smokies." He was a staff writer for ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

.'' Hickman also was a

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

known as "The Tennessee Terror", competing in over 500 matches.

Honors

Handsome Dan Handsome Dan is a bulldog that serves as the mascot of Yale University's sports teams. In addition to a person wearing a costume, the position is filled by an actual bulldog, the honor and title being transferred to a successor upon death or retir ...

VII, the Yale Bulldog mascot was donated to Hickman at age three, but the dog proved to have a bad temper, which suited him better in his next position as a watchdog on a Florida estate. The Herman Hickman Scholarship was "(e)stablished by UT alumni and friends in 1958 following the death of Herman Hickman... This graduate scholarship is awarded to varsity athletes in the field of their choice. The recipient currently receives $1,000 per semester."University of Tennessee Football Media Guide, 2006 p.118

Head coaching record

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hickman, Herman 1911 births 1958 deaths Sportspeople from Johnson City, Tennessee Players of American football from Tennessee American football tackles American football fullbacks American football guards Tennessee Volunteers football players Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL) players All-Southern college football players Coaches of American football from Tennessee Wake Forest Demon Deacons football coaches NC State Wolfpack football coaches Army Black Knights football coaches Yale Bulldogs football coaches College Football Hall of Fame inductees College football announcers NFL announcers 20th-century male professional wrestlers 20th-century American professional wrestlers American male professional wrestlers Professional wrestlers from Tennessee