He played all or part of 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a utility player for seven different franchises, including over 200 games each with the Cleveland Bronchos / Naps, Washington Senators, and New York Giants.

Hickman was born in [[Taylortown, Pennsylvania, south of Pittsburgh ]], and played one season of college baseball at West Virginia University in 1897.

[5] Hickman spent the remainder of the 1902 season with the Cleveland Bronchos, serving as the team's primary first baseman (98 games).

[5] Hickman joined the Detroit Tigers in exchange for first baseman Charlie Carr, playing 42 games through the end of the 1904 season.

[5] Hickman finished the 1907 season with the Chicago White Sox, batting .261 in 21 games, primarily as a pinch hitter.

[5] Hickman completed his major-league career with 66 games for Cleveland, until he was traded into the minor leagues on August 3, 1908.

[5] While his final major-league appearance came in July 1908, Hickman played professionally as late as 1911 in the minor-league American Association.

[5] As a pitcher, he compiled a 10–8 record in 30 games (22 starts) with a 4.28 earned run average (ERA) while striking out 37 batters in 185 innings pitched.

[5] Hickman was not a strong defender,[7] committing 357 errors during his major-league career while posting a .946 fielding percentage.

[7] He was a fan of movies, highlighted by a 1915 newspaper article during the silent film era; Marguerite Clark was his favorite actress.

[17] In 2017, Hickman was inducted to the Sports Hall of Fame at West Virginia University, which noted that he "remains the most prominent player with WVU ties to have played in the major leagues.