Fred Hickman, a journalist with CNN’s “Sports Tonight” passed away recently, on November 9th, in Kissimmee, Florida at the age of 66 years old. His wife Sheila Bowers Hickman confirmed that his cause of death was liver cancer, and he passed in the hospital.
Fred Hickman became a sports anchor at CNN when the network started back in 1980, ultimately working for them as a sports anchor for 21 years total at the network. Within just months of joining he was paired with Nick Charles on “Sports Tonight.” the pair were known as “Nick and Hick,” anchored a half hour news, analysis and highlights on weeknights at 11 up until 1997, with only a brief two year interruption.
Hickman was born on October 17th, 1956, in Springfield, Illinois to his mother, Louise Hickman and father George. Fred Hickman was the program and music director of the campus radio station at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he graduated in 1978 with a bachelors degree in Sociology. He had a brief job at a radio station in Springfield before being hired at the age of 23 at CNN. At the time Hickman said that, “I’m the sort of guy who’s been stuck doing two-to-three-minute highlights, and now I’ve got a chance to show almost everything important that happens in sports.”
Hickman left CNN in 1984 to anchor sports at WDIV-TV in Detroit and while he worked there got caught up with a cocaine habit. He left the station in 1986 and rejoined CNN and Mr. Charles later that same year, he remained there until 2001. After his time with CNN, he had short lived appearances at YES, ESPN and Fox Sports South. His final job before his retirement was being an anchor for Black News Channel from 2020 until earlier on this year.
Fred Hickman is survived by his wife, his daughter Gabrielle Hickman, his son Mack Hickman, sister, Louann Hickman, and stepbrother, Steven Archie.
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