Big loss for Arizona Football as Desert Swarm great Troy Dickey passes

Dick Tomey recruited a very special Arizona Football wide receiver Troy Dickey, who would end up a Desert Swarm legend and beloved by many before his recent passing.

Arizona Football and Desert Swarm great Troy Dickey passed away way too early at 46 years young. Dicky leaves a wife, Cara, and ten children.

Apparently Dickey suffered a stroke (a sudden blood clot that ended up bursting) and he was put into a medically induced coma on December 28th. On December 30, his son Brayden Dickey, a 6-foot-5 230-pound Junior WR for the Washington Huskies, had to play in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl against Penn State while his dad was in the hospital. Ironically, the Fiesta Bowl is the same bowl his father is famous for playing in. The Huskies went on to lose, and on Sunday, Brandon lost his father as well.

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Troy was surrounded by family as each member was able to say goodbye to their hero before he passed. His father, former Tennessee State quarterback Eldrige Dickey, also passed due to a stroke. Eldrige let his team to a National Black College Football Championship in 1966.

We spoke to Dickey’s long-time friend Bob Dickinson to get more information. Dickinson’s wife Ali and Cara Dickey were friends from college, that’s how Bob met Troy. Their 11-year-old daughters are best friends as well.

Dickinson was pretty shocked by the news and told us that Dickey was a very Christian man, a Theology major while at Arizona, he did a lot of football coaching and mentored troubled kids who didn’t have parents, “He had a way of connecting with the kids; he immediately had their trust, and they immediately loved him, I mean a lot, it was incredible!”

Dickenson had just talked to Dickey on the phone about his nephew, Jack Alexander (Redondo Union HS Quarterback, MVP of his division), about getting help getting exposure for the young QB with a 4.2 GPA. Dickey was very impressed with Jack’s tape and wanted to help him. Alexander would love to be a Wildcat. I interviewed Jack Alexander a year ago, not knowing the connection, and he was wearing a big block /A\ on his chest.

Related Story: Jack Alexander, senior So Cal QB, hoping for an Arizona Offer

Dickinson had this to say about his friend, a very spiritual and giving man, “He would give you the shirt off his back, he wasn’t the perfect guy as a kid, but as a man, he always put kids first and other people ahead of himself. He had the highest of character and was very very confident in his faith and the knowledge of his faith.”

According to Dickinson, Dickey’s own children are mostly all great athletes to some degree. His the youngest is five-year-old Elijah Dickey who looks like he is 10-years-old.

The family is looking into CTE as a possible cause of the stroke or at least not being able to survive it. He had high blood pressure and head trauma, so they are working with the NFL.

Dickey’s 1993 team was the pre-season No. 1 pick on the front page of Sports Illustrated when he played in Tucson. Dicky transferred from Texas community college and played for Dick Tomey from 1992-1993. In the 1993-94 Fiesta Bowl, the Wildcat beat No. 10 Miami (Fla.). Dickey, then a 6-foot-4 230-pound speedy wide receiver on the Cats, scored two touchdowns in one of the best wins in program history.

On the other end of the ball was his quarterback George Malauulu. Malauulu was recently in the news regarding his relationship with UA graduate assistant Davy Gnodle and helping funnel more Polynesian players on the Wildcats football team.

Dickey and Malauulu had just lost their teammate Warner Smith at the age of 44 just four days earlier to Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Many former teammates and friends spoke out in their sadness in hearing about the loss including Oregon Assistant Coach Joe Salave’a.

The Fiesta Bowl 1993-94, sights and sounds from a sold-out Sun Devil stadium, both Miami, and Arizona were 9-2 on the season.

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We send our sincere condolences to everyone affected by this enormous loss. May his memory and good deeds live on in those he touched and all of us for many years to come. Bear Down Troy! Rest in Peace.