John Hicks (American football)
Encyclopedia
John Charles Hicks Jr. (born March 21, 1951) is a former American football
offensive lineman in the National Football League
. He is best remembered for being the last lineman to be runner-up in the vote for the Heisman Trophy
.
scene and won the job as a starting
tackle. He unfortunately missed his sophomore year due to a knee injury, but rebounded to put together two spectacular seasons in 1972 and 1973. During Hicks' three years, Ohio State posted a 28-3-1 record, and each year, Ohio State won the Big Ten Championship and went to the Rose Bowl, making Hicks the first person from OSU to play in three Rose Bowls.
In 1972 Hicks was recognized as a First Team All-America
selection and earned his first of two All-Big Ten
honors. He repeated his All-Conference honors his senior year and again earned All-America honors, this time as a unanimous selection. His stellar senior season and dominance of the line of scrimmage caught the eye of the voters as Hicks won the Lombardi Award
as the nation's most outstanding lineman and the Outland Trophy
as the nation's best interior lineman.
s as Archie Griffin
, Pete Johnson
and Harold "Champ" Henson
is all the more amazing when considering what he had to overcome. The 6-3, 258 pound tackle started as a sophomore in 1970, freshman weren't eligible, and helped them go to the Rose Bowl. In 1971, he started off the season in dominant fashion before injuring his knee and missing the last six games of the season. He came back to become an All-American in 1972 helping the Buckeyes to go back to the Rose Bowl. Then he had his monster 1973 season. A first round draft pick of the New York Giants, injuries would put a halt to his pro career.
. Next year at the 1973 game
, Ohio State got steamrolled by USC 42-17. But the 1974 Rose Bowl
game would be unbeaten Ohio State's year to steamroll USC 42-21 as Hicks (Archie Griffin, Pete Johnson?) led the way to 323 rushing yards.
from 1974 through 1977. In April 1978, the Giants traded Hicks to the Pittsburgh Steelers
in exchange for offensive lineman Jim Clack
and wide receiver Ernie Pough. Hicks never played for the Steelers.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
offensive lineman in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He is best remembered for being the last lineman to be runner-up in the vote for the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
.
College career
In 1970, Hicks came onto the BuckeyeOhio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of The Ohio State University, named after the state tree, the Buckeye. The Buckeyes participate in the NCAA's Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports...
scene and won the job as a starting
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
tackle. He unfortunately missed his sophomore year due to a knee injury, but rebounded to put together two spectacular seasons in 1972 and 1973. During Hicks' three years, Ohio State posted a 28-3-1 record, and each year, Ohio State won the Big Ten Championship and went to the Rose Bowl, making Hicks the first person from OSU to play in three Rose Bowls.
In 1972 Hicks was recognized as a First Team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
selection and earned his first of two All-Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
honors. He repeated his All-Conference honors his senior year and again earned All-America honors, this time as a unanimous selection. His stellar senior season and dominance of the line of scrimmage caught the eye of the voters as Hicks won the Lombardi Award
Lombardi Award
The Rotary Lombardi Award is awarded annually to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The Lombardi Award program was approved by the Rotary Club in Houston in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi. The committee outlined the criteria for eligibility for the award, which...
as the nation's most outstanding lineman and the Outland Trophy
Outland Trophy
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best United States college football interior lineman by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named All-America at two positions, Outland garnered consensus All-America honors in...
as the nation's best interior lineman.
The comeback
That Hicks was the road grader for such great running backRunning back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
s as Archie Griffin
Archie Griffin
Archie Mason Griffin is a former American football running back. Griffin played seven seasons in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals. He is college football's only two-time Heisman Trophy winner...
, Pete Johnson
Pete Johnson (American football)
Pete Johnson is a former college and professional American football running back. He spent 8 seasons in the NFL, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals. Before his NFL career, Johnson played for the Ohio State Buckeyes.-College career:Johnson played fullback for Ohio State from 1973 through 1976...
and Harold "Champ" Henson
Champ Henson
Harold R. "Champ" Henson, III is a former college and professional American football fullback.Henson attended the Ohio State University where he led the nation in scoring as a sophomore in 1972. In the second game of the 1973 season, however, Henson tore the cartilage his knee and was out for the...
is all the more amazing when considering what he had to overcome. The 6-3, 258 pound tackle started as a sophomore in 1970, freshman weren't eligible, and helped them go to the Rose Bowl. In 1971, he started off the season in dominant fashion before injuring his knee and missing the last six games of the season. He came back to become an All-American in 1972 helping the Buckeyes to go back to the Rose Bowl. Then he had his monster 1973 season. A first round draft pick of the New York Giants, injuries would put a halt to his pro career.
The Rose Bowls
Hicks was the first player to ever start in three Rose Bowls and was part of a monster Ohio State team. The unbeaten Buckeyes lost to Stanford 27-17 in the 1971 Rose Bowl1971 Rose Bowl
The 1971 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1971. It was the 57th Rose Bowl Game. The Stanford Indians defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 27-17. The MVP was Heisman Trophy winner Jim Plunkett.-Ohio State:...
. Next year at the 1973 game
1973 Rose Bowl
The 1973 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1973. It was the 59th Rose Bowl Game. The USC Trojans defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 42-17. USC running back Sam "Bam" Cunningham scored four touchdowns and was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game...
, Ohio State got steamrolled by USC 42-17. But the 1974 Rose Bowl
1974 Rose Bowl
The 1974 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1974. It was the 60th Rose Bowl Game. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the USC Trojans 42–21.-Ohio State Buckeyes:...
game would be unbeaten Ohio State's year to steamroll USC 42-21 as Hicks (Archie Griffin, Pete Johnson?) led the way to 323 rushing yards.
Pro career
Hicks played for the New York GiantsNew York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
from 1974 through 1977. In April 1978, the Giants traded Hicks to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
in exchange for offensive lineman Jim Clack
Jim Clack
James Thomas Clack was an American football guard in the National Football League. He played for 11 seasons between 1971 and 1981. He died of heart failure in 2006, after a four-year battle with cancer....
and wide receiver Ernie Pough. Hicks never played for the Steelers.
Honors
- First Team All-American-1972, 1973
- First Team All-Big Ten-1972, 1973
- Second in Heisman Trophy voting-1973
- Outland Trophy Winner-1973
- Lombardi Trophy Winner-1973
- Rose Bowl Hall of Fame-2009
Personal
Hicks is married to his wife Cindy, the father of four children, and has one granddaughter and one grandson.External links
- College football career summary from the Ohio State UniversityOhio State UniversityThe Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
website - The John Hicks Company