He acquired a love of music as a child, and sang for churches, banquets, weddings and theater productions all his life.
Along with Humphrey, Hickman accepted a football scholarship from Baylor University, where he majored in Business with a minor in Vocal Performance.
After playing college football for Baylor, Hickman was selected in third round (31st overall) of the 1959 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams, rejoining Humphrey briefly before being traded to the Chicago Cardinals prior to the start of the 1959 season.
Hickman then went to the Canadian Football League where he played with three teams in three successive years from 1961 to 1963: the Hamilton Tiger Cats, Montreal Alouettes, and Toronto Argonauts.
After professional football, Hickman joined Texas Power & Light (later TU Electric), working in numerous cities and positions for almost 30 years.