When Albert resigned following the 1958 season, citing the constant fan abuse heaped on not only him, but his family, Hickey was promoted to head coach on December 16 and received a three-year contract.

Hickey sought to find a way to combat the Colts' strong pass rush and reasoned that having the quarterback stand seven yards back behind the line of scrimmage in what he called the "shotgun formation" would give the signal caller more time to throw, as well as force adjustments by Baltimore's defense.

The team won three of its final four games to again finish 7–5 and seemed ready to challenge for greater things in 1961, with Hickey in place for the expected surge with a new three-year contract.

The veteran's absence appeared to make no difference when the season began with the team using the quarterback trio of John Brodie, Waters and rookie Billy Kilmer.

The Bears had moved linebacker Bill George from his regular spot up to the line of scrimmage, where he and his teammates were able to develop a strong pass rush, essentially putting an end to the shotgun formation's effectiveness.

When the team lost its first three games in 1963, the last coming in a 45–14 thrashing by the Minnesota Vikings, Hickey resigned on September 30, and two weeks later was hired as a Rams' scout for the remainder of the year.

Hickey spent the next two decades as a Cowboys scout and watched with pride when his team dusted off his old offense in 1975, using it only in specific situations, but popularizing a strategy that remains to this day.

On an individual level, he was elected to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1968, while his son, Mike, followed him into the world of scouting, working for the New England Patriots and New York Jets.