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Longtime broadcaster, ‘Sports Tonight’ anchor Fred Hickman dies at 66

ryan young
Staff writer
·4 min read
299
Longtime sports broadcaster Fred Hickman died on Wednesday night at 66. (Paul Andrew Hawthorne/WireImage)
Longtime sports broadcaster Fred Hickman died on Wednesday night at 66. (Paul Andrew Hawthorne/WireImage)

Longtime sports broadcaster Fred Hickman, who shined alongside Nick Charles at CNN and helped launch the YES Network, died on Wednesday night.

He was 66.

“Fred was a joy to work with and a joyful person,” Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay said in a statement. “A total pro that you felt comfortable with knowing he would lead you the right way on the air. He was the first voice ever heard on YES and his professionalism put us on the right track, a track we are on all these years later.”

Hickman was at CNN from the beginning, and hosted “Sports Tonight” with Charles on the network on its first day on the air in 1980. The duo thrived, frequently competing with ESPN’s “Sports Center” during his 21 years with CNN and Turner. Hickman also hosted the first version of “Inside the NBA” on TNT during the 1989-90 season alongside stars like Craig Sager, Hannah Storm, Tim Brando and Vince Cellini.

Hickman is also responsible for then-Los Angeles Lakers star Shaquille O’Neal not being a unanimous MVP winner in 2000. Hickman was the lone media member to vote for someone other than O’Neal, instead choosing Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson.

Hickman then jumped to the YES Network in 2001, where he helped it launch and was the first anchor on the air the following year. Hickman also spent time with ESPN, where he was a “SportsCenter” anchor for four years, and with Fox, where he was a host for Atlanta Braves broadcasts. Most recently, Hickman worked as the anchor and managing editor at Black News Channel.