[3] Dickey decided to attend North Carolina State University to play basketball for future Hall of Fame coach Everett Case two years after he graduated high school.

Between 1946–47 and 1949–50, the 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) forward (who would later play guard professionally) led the Wolfpack to all four Southern Conference championships during his tenure[3] and was named all-conference four times.

In 1949–50, Dickey's senior season, the Wolfpack advanced to the NCAA Tournament Final Four, where they lost to eventual national champion CCNY, 78–73.

When the Wolfpack defeated Holy Cross in the quarterfinals, Dickey cut down the rim's net, which was an Indiana high school basketball tradition that he is credited with introducing to the college game.

[3] After graduating in 1950, Dickey was selected as the 25th pick in the third round by the Baltimore Bullets in the 1950 NBA draft.