Exclusive interview with Maurice Hicks


By Semaj Marsh
bluedeathvalley.com
Nov. 25, 2004

Its not often that a 1-AA college football program is blessed enough to have a player the caliber of Maurice Hicks on its roster.

For two memory-filled seasons, Hicks electrified A&T fans everywhere with his stunning array moves, his breathtaking speed in the open field and his uncanny ability to do the impossible. When his playing days in Greensboro were all said and done, he owned several NCAA and MEAC all-time rushing records and emerged as a bonafied A&T football legend.

This week, we finally tracked down the greatest running back to ever wear the blue and gold, and talked to him one-on-one about his memorable career at A&T, the struggles he endured to make it to the NFL, and the current success he is now experiencing as a member of the San Francisco 49ers. During the course of our interview we found out that not only was Maurice Hicks a great running back, but he was also a great guy as well. Please enjoy:

Bluedeathvalley.com: First of all, welcome to our website. It’s really a pleasure to be able to talk with you today. How are things going for you right now in San Francisco?

Hicks: Oh man, it’s been great. I’m just having fun out here.

What the biggest different between playing professional football and college football?

Hicks: The talent level here is great. The game speed is faster and there are a lot of great athletes at this level.

What adjustments, if any, did you have to make to your running style to be able to play in the NFL?

Hicks: My running style? Um…just being patient- that’s the key out here.  Being patient and seeing the holes and hitting them. Because up here, the running holes don’t stay open for long.

What would you say is your role with the 49ers right now?

Hicks: Well, I guess you can say I’m a backup…a special teams guy.

How did it feel when you were called up from the practice squad a few weeks ago and got to see action in your first regular season NFL game?

Hicks: Man, it was exciting. Something you’ve been waiting for all your life and it finally comes true. It’s just been great. I’m really enjoying everything right now.

I’ve been reading some of the 49er message boards on the Internet and right now there are a lot of fans saying that you should get more playing time at the running back position. Some are even suggesting that you should replace Kevan Barlow as the team’s starting running back. What are your thoughts about that?

Hicks: It’s good to have the fan support like that, you know. I’m glad that they feel that way, but it’s still not my decision or anything like that. I’m just being patient and waiting for the coaches to make that decision.

Well, I’ve been following your career since you first got to A&T and I can say that you are unequivocally the greatest running back in the history of A&T football. What do you think makes you so different? What do you possess that the other backs don’t have?

Hicks: Me, I’m a hard worker. Like I said- patience. I’ve been patient all my life; just waiting for my opportunity. I feel like I’m a person that has that desire. I don’t let too many things overcome me. You know, I’ve faced just about everything a person can face in life and I just feel that I’m a very strong person right now.

Hicks finished his career as the Aggies all-time leading rusher with 2812 yards.

What made you decide to come to A&T in the first place?

Hicks: I saw that A&T had two other running backs that went to the league from A&T, so I felt like that was the best opportunity to me. To go to a school like A&T, I felt like I could stand out and then follow in the footsteps of Mo Smith and Michael Basnight. I felt like that was an easy way for me to get in the league because that stepping stone had been laid already.

What was your most memorable moment as an Aggie?

Hicks: Well, I could say that when we played Morgan State and I broke the record for the most rushing yards, that was one of my biggest games. Even though we lost, I guess that was one of the best times for me.

During your college career you had a knack for making some breath-taking runs. Is there any one run in particular that really stands out for you?

Hicks: I think that was probably when we played FAMU for homecoming (in 2001). It was like my last run- a long run of about 70 yards that sealed the game. That was a memorable moment for me.

You had a habit of making long runs against FAMU. I remember you almost got Billy Joe fired one year when you went down to Tallahassee and ran for about 230 yards against them. You were almost a one-man show in that game.

Hicks: [Laughing] Yeah, that was one of my first games playing for A&T. That was my first, as people might say, ‘coming out party.’

FAMU's Bragg Stadium : "The House that Hicks built"

Do you get a chance to come back to Greensboro often and do you still keep up with the team?

Hicks: I came back this year for the game they had before they played Howard, because (the 49ers) had an open week. I came through and I talked to the fellas and tried to give them a little inspirational speech. You know, I was just trying to get them going again because I knew they were having a hard time. I went up there and tried to motivate those guys to play hard and to have that desire.

I spoke with current A&T running back Micheaux Hollingsworth recently, and he really credits you with teaching him a lot about running the football and what it takes to be a big-time player. How does it make you feel to know that you have such a positive influence on people?

Hicks: It’s great to know that people look up to me. And like Micheaux, himself- I think he is another great football player. I really haven’t been able to see him after I left but when I was there- that kid, he had some talent.

Ok, well let’s change gears for a moment and talk about a subject that’s a sore spot for all A&T fans and I’m sure for yourself as well. I’m referring to the infamous JSU game in which you suffered your season-ending ACL injury. Tell me what you remember about that game and what actually happened to you on that play.

Hicks: Yeah, that was a major stumbling block that I had to overcome at that time. Actually it happened when I tried to jump over one of the Jackson State guys and landed on one leg. I guess my knee extended back on that turf and I guess when it yanked back real fast it tore my ACL. I felt loose at the time, I felt like I could still run, but (my knee) would give every five or six steps when I ran or tried to cut or whatever. I didn’t think it was that bad and the doctor said it was probably just a little tear. But then I went and got a MRI that Monday and the doctor said that I tore it completely.

At that point in the year, I believe you were second in the nation in rushing and a strong candidate for the Walter Payton award. How frustrating was it for you to have such a great season end so abruptly?

Hicks: It was very frustrating, man. To know that I had worked so hard to get so far and then the injury kinda slowed me up. But overall, as a person, I just stayed strong and kept fighting and didn’t let that get me down. I had that desire- just the desire to keep going.

Talk a little about the rehab process and the workout regimen you had to follow to get your knee back healthy.

Hicks: Well, like I said it’s a part of desire. It’s just dedication- just knowing how bad you want to play and doing whatever it takes to get to that certain level. It’s all about that.

After your collegiate career ended you signed a free agent contract with the Chicago Bears and they had you on the inactive list for a year while you worked to rehab your knee. The next Spring they allocated you to the NFL Europe League were you were a member of the Scotland Claymores. What was that experience like?

Hicks: Going over to Europe was a great experience. That was to help me get back to where I wanted to be on the playing field, as far as running and trying to get my normal feel back.

When you went over to Scotland you actually set another all-time rushing record. I think it was for the longest run from scrimmage in a NFL Europe game.

Hicks: Yeah, I think that was probably my best game of the season. That was my first game and had a total of 150-some yards off of only 12 carries.

How tough was it to adjust to the different culture in Europe?

Hicks: Um, it was kinda difficult to be so far away from home…but it was also exciting to see other cultures and how people live in different places. It was so interesting to learn how they got around and did things in their world.

I know you became friends with Ken Simonton, the former Oregon State running back who was one of your backfield mates on the Claymores. What was it like to test your skills for the first time against players like that from major Division 1-A schools?

Hicks: It’s always a challenge to go out there and compete. You know, that’s what I’ve being doing all my life. I’m always up for a challenge and doing whatever it takes to be a better player.

In 2003 Hicks set the NFL Europe record for the longest run from scrimmage, a 93 yarder in his first game for the Scotland Claymores

Well, after an impressive stint in NFL Europe you returned back to the Bear’s training camp and you got your first real chance to compete for an active NFL roster spot. Unfortunately things didn’t work out quite as you had hoped for and on the Bear’s final cut you were released. What was the reasoning the Chicago coaches gave you for why you didn’t make the team?

Hicks: Well, I don’t really want to get into the details and the reasons why. I just felt like I didn’t really get the opportunity to really play. That was my whole thing. Like the times I got in it was probably only a minute and thirty seconds or something left in the game and there’s not really much you can do with that much time on the clock. I just felt like I didn’t get enough time. But you know, Chicago- I’m not holding any grudges against them because they did give me the opportunity to rehab and heal myself. They’ve got some great personnel people that worked in that organization and they treated me real well.

Adrian Peterson, the record setting back from Georgia Southern, was also a member of that Bears team. What was it like to interact with him and did the two of you develop a friendly rivalry since you both played at 1-AA schools?

Hicks: Oh, it had absolutely nothing to do with Adrian Peterson. Me and Adrian, we’re real cool even now. I just finished talking to him yesterday and he’s a great guy. We’re always talking to each other; motivating each other to strive for the best. We’re always talking. Adrian- he’s a great guy.

After getting cut from the Bears I believe you worked from a few months at Federal Express. Was there ever a moment during that time when you lost confidence in your abilities or questioned if you had what it took to be in the NFL?

Hicks: I knew that I had to be patient. That’s one of my main philosophies: “patience is the key to success.” If you are patient you are able to find a way. And I was. I knew I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing, so I had to go out and find work. I just kept myself occupied and I kept working out, and finally I got that call (from the 49ers).

I understand that you put together your own highlight tape and sent it directly to the 49ers yourself. Did you still have an agent working for you at that point?

Hicks: Yeah, my agent- he’s a great guy, but I just felt like he wasn’t getting the job done for me so I had to take matters into my own hands and go out there and do it myself. You know, me as a person going through life, I can’t just sit there and wait for people to do stuff. You’ve got to get out there and do it yourself.

You signed with the 49ers towards the end of last season and they allocated you again to the Scottish Claymore of NFL Europe. After another successful stint with the Claymores you returned to San Francisco and prepared to compete in your second NFL training camp. What was going on in your mind during that time? 

Hicks: It was already set in my mind that when I went over to NFL Europe that I only had so many opportunities left and I knew what I had to get done. And knowing that there were a lot of young guys coming up in the draft, I knew I had to step it up and take care of my business and try to get game time so I could make the team.

Well, this year you again made it all the way down to the Niners’ final cut before you, unfortunately, were released again. What did Coach Erickson tell you that day when he called you in his office?

Hicks: You know, to them, it was a hard decision to make. The coaches, they really loved me and they wanted to keep me around…and that’s what they did. They found that I had completed my eligibility (in NFL-Europe), so they put me on the practice squad to keep me around.

What is it like to be a player on the practice squad?

Hicks: You do most of the same stuff as the regular team. You have the playbook and all the plays. Mostly, you’re a “look guy.” You’re the person who sets up the look for the first team defense. And I was kinda like the running back for each team, so my job was just to go out there and give them the best look to prepare them for the game.

When you heard that Jamal Roberston, the running back who beat you out for the final roster spot, was being released from the team and that you were going to be called up to the Niner’s active roster what was your initial reaction? 

Hicks: Um…I was just thankful that I was getting the opportunity to step up and be able to play for the first time on the active roster.

Well, now that you got that opportunity, you have definitely made the most of it. Two weeks ago you came in and had a couple of long kick returns and a spectacular 35-yard run from scrimmage. And just last week you led the Niners in both rushing and receiving. How does it feel to finally get a chance to show what you can do?

Hicks: I just try to go out there and help the team out in any way I can. Whatever I can do- if its on special teams or if they put me on offense. You know, I just try to go out there and spark the team and get everybody pumped up. Doing whatever it takes to help my team win.

Lastly, what can we expect from Maurice Hicks in the future?

Hicks: I hope that you’ll hear my name a lot more and hopefully for doing good things, not bad. I just want everybody to keep supporting me and we’ll just have to see what’s to come.

Well, on behalf of the BDF and everyone here in Greensboro, I just want to wish you the best of luck and let you know that you are making all of us very proud. Just keep on doing what you’re doing and stay positive.

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>> Maurice Hicks ended his college career as the Aggies' alltime leading rusher with 2,812 total yards.

>> Hicks set the NCAA Divison-I alltime record for rushing yards in a single game with 437 against Morgan State in 2001.

>> Hicks was named the BCF offensive player of the year and MEAC offensive player of the year after his senior season in 2001.