1975 Profile: John Hicks

Guard
No. 74
Ohio State
"The No. 1 draft pick of the Giants in 1974, Hicks more than lived up to great expectations. First, he won himself a job at right guard and performed with distinction for 14 games. At season's end, the honors heaped up on him. He was named to the All-NFL Rookie team by UPI, AP, Pro Football Weekly and the Pro Football Writers of America, and then was named the NFC's Offensive Rookie of the Year by UPI- the first offensive lineman ever to win that distinction in the 20 years of the poll.
Big, strong and agile, he excelled in all phases of the game: pass blocking, leading the sweeps or in straight-ahead blocking. Everyone agrees that he is definite All-Pro material.
Hicks won just about every honor available at Ohio State. A three-year letterman, he was an All-American for two years, won both the Outland and Lombardi Trophies and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting to John Cappelletti of Penn State. Hicks played in the Rose Bowl three times and was also named Player of the Year by the Sporting News in 1973.
Hicks was born in Cleveland, Ohio and played his high school sports at John Jay High School in that city. He's related to NFL players Tommy Hart and Frank and Elijah Pitts. He lists music and drag racing among his favorite hobbies and is active in the Catholic Big Brothers program."

-1975 New York Giants Media Guide