Dickey attended Fairview High School in Boulder, Colorado. He initially joined the football team at the University of Tennessee in 1980, but left the team for a year after suffering an injury. He redshirted in 1982. For most of his college career, Dickey was a backup to star quarterbacks Alan Cockrell and Tony Robinson. His lone start prior to the 1985 season came against Army in 1984, when he completed 14 of 24 passes for 167 yards en route to a 24–24 tie. During the 1985 season, Robinson, at the time a candidate for the Heisman Trophy, suffered a season-ending knee injury in the fourth quarter of a close game against Alabama. Dickey, by that time a fifth-year senior, stepped in as his replacement, and the Vols held on for a 16–14 victory. After a 6–6 tie against Georgia Tech the following week, Dickey led the Vols to five consecutive victories, helping the team earn its first Southeastern Conference championship since 1969. During this run, Dickey threw just one interception in 130 attempts, at one point throwing 106 consecutive passes without an interception. As SEC champions, the Vols earned a berth in the Sugar Bowl, played on New Year's Day in 1986. Their opponent, the Miami Hurricanes, were ranked number two in the nation, having won ten consecutive games, and were in contention for a national championship. Completing 15 of 25 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, Dickey led the Vols to a 35–7 upset of the Hurricanes, and was named Sugar Bowl MVP. Dickey played professional football for the San Diego Chargers in the National Football League and for the Memphis Showboats in the United States Football League.
Coaching career
Dickey began his coaching career at Tennessee as a graduate assistant coach and then as the assistant quarterback coach; he later became a volunteer assistant at Florida State University. Dickey left Florida State to become the quarterbacks coach at the University of Kentucky in 1990 and served in that position before becoming Kentucky's offensive coordinator in 1993 through 1994. In 1995, Dickey became offensive coordinator for Georgia Southern University, a position he held through 1996 when he became head coach at Presbyterian College in South Carolina. After four years as Presbyterian's head coach, in 2001 Dickey joined the staff of Bobby Bowden as quarterbacks coach at Florida State. He became the head coach at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Georgia, in 2008. In 2009, he became school's athletic director. He resigned as coach following the 2013 season to focus solely on his role as athletic director.
Family
Dickey is the son of Doug Dickey, the former head football coach of the University of Tennessee and the University of Florida. He is married to the former Kendall George from Knoxville, Tennessee. They have three children together: Karis, Dallas, and Daryl Andrew.
