As a collegian at Notre Dame, Stickles was twice recognized as an All-American, achieving consensus status as a senior in 1959.

Stickles played End (offensive) and kicked extra points for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from 1957 to 1959, wearing number 80.

As a collegian he stood 6'4" tall and weighed 215 pounds and gained a place on the Notre Dame squad as a three-year starter.

[1] He also participated in the East-West Shrine the College All-Star games prior to entering the NFL.

He also was chosen in the first round by the Los Angeles Chargers of the newly formed American Football League (AFL) in 1960.

Stickles got his career off to a fast start, snagging eight passes in his debut game against the New York Giants.

[4] After eight seasons in San Francisco, Stickles was traded to the New Orleans Saints on July 5, 1968, for defensive back George Rose.

[5] He also did play-by-play commentary of basketball games for the University of San Francisco on local station KEST in 1968, before moving to the big station KGO to work as an analyst for California Golden Bears football and Oakland Raiders games.

[5] The most memorable event of Stickles' radio career came in 1984 when he had a brief but explosive post-game interview with San Francisco Giants manager Frank Robinson.

[6] In 1985, Stickles left the world of broadcasting to take a lucrative job selling beer for a prominent Bay Area distributor.

[5] Never a star but a regular throughout his NFL career, Stickles was remembered as a sure-handed receiver and a rugged blocker, with a dirty streak anticipating the infamous St. Louis Cardinals lineman Conrad Dobler.