Gene Hickerson
|
|
| Born |
February 15, 1935(1935-02-15)
Trenton, Tennessee |
| Died |
October 20, 2008 (aged 73)
Cleveland, Ohio |
| Career information |
| Year(s) |
1958–1973 |
| NFL Draft |
1957 / Round: 7 / Pick: 78 |
| College |
Mississippi |
| Professional teams |
|
|
| Career stats |
| Games played |
202 |
| Seasons |
15 |
| Fumble Recoveries |
7 |
| Stats at NFL.com |
| Career highlights and awards |
- 6× Pro Bowl selection (1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970)
- 5× First-team All-Pro selection (1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970)
- 2× Second-team All-Pro selection (1964, 1965)
- NFL 1960s All-Decade Team
|
|
|
Robert Gene Hickerson (February 15, 1935 - October 20, 2008) was a former American Football offensive guard who played for the Cleveland Browns in a fifteen-year career from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1973. Hickerson was a six-time Pro Bowler from 1965 to 1970. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 3, 2007. He was inducted by his friend and former teammate at The University of Mississippi and the Cleveland Browns, Bobby Franklin, on August 4 2007 in Canton, Ohio.
Biography
Collegiate career
Playing fullback at Trezevant High School, Hickerson became a tackle at Ole Miss. He was considered one of the best offensive linemen in Southeastern Conference history at the end of his collegiate career.
Professional career
Gene was drafted in the seventh round of the 1957 NFL Draft by the Browns. He was promptly shifted to the guard position on the offensive line in 1958 to better utilize his speed. He was used as a "messenger" guard by Coach Paul Brown, or a guard that delivered the plays in the huddle, while blocking for Hall of Famers Jim Brown, Bobby Mitchell, and Leroy Kelly. But after three seasons in the league, he broke his leg in 1961 and fractured the leg again later in the season while watching a game from the sidelines.
After missing two games in 1962, he recovered from the injury and never missed another game in his professional tenure. Hickerson only earned accolades after Jim Brown had retired and he was blocking for Leroy Kelly, but he earned first-team all-NFL honors five straight seasons from 1966-1970 and was voted to six consecutive Pro Bowls from 1966 to 1971. During his career, Hickerson's Browns never experienced a losing season and started in four NFL title games, including a 1964 NFL Championship win over the Baltimore Colts 27-0. During Gene's 10 pro seasons, the Browns featured a 1,000-yard rusher every season but one. They also had the NFL's leading rusher seven seasons of those ten. He was elected to the Browns' legends team and the NFL 1960s All-Decade Team.
Death
Hickerson's health began failing in his later life; he was diagnosed with sleep apnea, diabetes, alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.[1] On October 20, 2008, Hickerson died at a nursing home in Cleveland, Ohio.[2] The Browns have added a "GH" tribute badge to their helmets for the 2008 season in his honor.
References
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
