Fred Hickman was a journalist best known for sports reporting on shows including “CNN Sports Tonight” and ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”
- Died: November 9, 2022 (Who else died on November 9?)
- Details of death: Died at the age of 66.
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Award-winning career
Hickman got his start in radio before joining CNN in the cable news network’s first year. He was one of the original co-hosts of “CNN Sports Tonight,” alongside Nick Charles (1946–2011). Hickman remained with CNN until 2001, covering the NFL and NBA as well as several Olympics. He won two CableAce Awards while at CNN. He joined the Yankee Entertainment and Sports Network (YES) before moving on to several years at ESPN. There, he was seen on “SportsCenter,” “Baseball Tonight,” and “NBA Coast to Coast,” among other shows. Later, he worked at Fox Sports and several local news stations before joining the short-lived Black News Network as evening newscast anchor. In 2000, Hickman was in the news as the lone person who did not cast a first-place vote for Shaquille O’Neal for NBA Most Valuable Player. Had he voted for O’Neal, he would have been the first to win the honor unanimously; Hickman voted for Allen Iverson instead.
Hickman on the Iverson vote
“It was supposed to be a closed vote. How it got out? I have no idea. And I don’t care. It doesn’t matter to me. I have never been a big public opinion guy. So I don’t know how it actually got out. It was crazy; I got death threats and the whole thing. But, the next year, ironically enough Allen Iverson won the MVP. So people were calling me and asking me if I thought I was vindicated; I said no, I was just right.” —from a 2011 interview for RingSideReport
Tributes to Fred Hickman
Full obituary: USA Today
