[2] Dickey attended Bryan High School where he was a multi-sport star in football, basketball, and track.
[3][4] After his 1976 senior season, Dickey was considered the number one high school football prospect in the country.
Although he was courted by other programs, Dickey chose to stay in his hometown to play football for Texas A&M University.
[2] Dickey was a two-sport athlete at Texas A&M University, earning varsity letters in all four years as a running back in football and a sprinter on the track team.
[7] In his freshman season (1976), Dickey and George Woodard led a dual backfield that propelled the Aggies to a 10–2 record and a #7 rank in the final AP poll.
The Aggies earned a bid to the Hall of Fame Classic, where Dickey set a bowl game record with 276 rushing yards.
At the 1980 Southwest Texas Indoor Track and Field Championship, Dickey finished second behind Herkie Walls in the 60-yard dash (55 meters).
[9] In February 1980, Dickey won the U.S. National Indoor Track and Field Championship in the 60-yard dash, posting a time of 6.09 seconds.
[16] Dickey still finished the season as the Colts' third-leading rusher, behind McMillan and Zach Dixon, and tied for second on the team with 21 receptions.
[19] Following the 1983 season, Dickey began negotiating with the Houston Gamblers to switch to the upstart United States Football League due to a contract dispute with the Colts.
He missed six total games and ended the season on the injured reserve list before undergoing off-season arthroscopic surgery.
Colts head coach Rod Dowhower cited a poor attitude as the reason for Dickey's mid-season release.
[24] Dickey left the team as its then-fifth leading rusher in franchise history with 3,490 yards across six seasons.
Dickey was relegated to backup role behind Kevin Mack, but still finished second on the team in rushing with 523 yards and six touchdowns.
Led by quarterback Bernie Kosar, the Browns made it to the 1986 AFC Championship Game, where they lost 20–23 in overtime to the Denver Broncos.
[28] Dickey returned to College Station, Texas after his football career ended, where he worked in the community.