11 Facts About Red Hickey

Howard Wayne "Red" Hickey was an American professional football player and coach.

Red Hickey attended the University of Arkansas, competing as a member of the football and basketball teams, where he won All-Conference accolades in both sports.

Red Hickey was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 1941 NFL draft.

Red Hickey's rights were transferred to the Pittsburgh Steelers due to the events later referred to as the Pennsylvania Polka.

Red Hickey played for the Cleveland Rams, then missed the next three years while serving as a US Navy gunnery officer during World War II.

Red Hickey remained in that capacity with the team for six seasons until resigning on December 12,1954, along with his fellow assistants.

Red 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.

Red Hickey then made a dramatic change in the chemistry of the team during the offseason when he traded Tittle.

Red Hickey had been a strong candidate to become head coach of the expansion Atlanta Falcons, but the post was given to Green Bay assistant Norb Hecker on January 26,1966.

Just six weeks later, Red Hickey resigned his coaching position and asked to join the Cowboy scouting staff.

Red 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.