[2] Dickey played quarterback for the University of Tennessee, where he is remembered for coming off the bench during the 1985 season and leading the Vols to the SEC Championship and a 35–7 upset of Miami in the Sugar Bowl.
[1] During the 1985 season, Robinson, at the time a candidate for the Heisman Trophy, suffered a season-ending knee injury in the fourth quarter of a close game against Alabama.
After a 6–6 tie against Georgia Tech the following week, Dickey led the Vols to five consecutive victories, helping the team earn its first Southeastern Conference (SEC) championship since 1969.
Completing 15 of 25 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, Dickey led the Vols to a 35–7 upset of the Hurricanes, and was named Sugar Bowl MVP.
In 1995, Dickey became offensive coordinator for Georgia Southern University, a position he held through 1996 when he became head coach at Presbyterian College in South Carolina.