Hawkins' football career began in Las Vegas' Pop Warner system and continued through Western High School, where he was a star running back.
[citation needed] In the 1981 NFL draft, Hawkins was selected at the end of the tenth round (276th overall) by the Oakland Raiders.
With the Raiders in Oakland and Los Angeles, he also wore number 27 and played in Super Bowl XVIII in January 1984.
During that 1983 NFL season, Hawkins and running back Kenny King combined for 1,119 total rushing and receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, winning the final game 38-9 over the favored Washington Redskins.
[1] Nicknamed "The Hawk," his 5,333 career rushing yards at Nevada ranks fourth all-time in NCAA history behind Ricky Williams (Texas), Tony Dorsett (Pittsburgh) and Charles White (Southern California).