He was active in football, basketball, and lacrosse, and he also set a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III track record in high hurdles.
After managing a tire store in Houston and working as an auto mechanic, he began posing for print photography ads and doing television commercials.
In a nationwide talent search in Dallas, he became one of four finalists out of 770 candidates to screen-test for the Larry Wilcox replacement role on the television series CHiPs.
Although he did not get the job, he did get a small film part and had the lead in an MTV video documentary called Wild Rides, narrated by Matt Dillon.
In 1984, Dicopoulos moved to Los Angeles where he appeared in numerous primetime series, including The Tracey Ullman Show, Silver Spoons, Hotel, Dynasty, and Falcon Crest, as well as the soap operas The Young and the Restless, Capitol, and, General Hospital.