Hall of Fame
Nicknamed “The Little General,” Eddie Hickey of Creighton and Saint Louis is one of the greatest men’s hoops coaches in MVC history.
A native of Reynolds, Neb., Hickey is the only head coach in the 102-year history of the league to lead two different schools to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
In his two coaching stints in The Valley, he posted 337 career victories and 163 league triumphs, ranking second all-time in those categories on league charts.
As Creighton head coach from 1935 to 1947, he compiled a 126-71 overall slate and a 73-35 Valley mark. He guided the Bluejays to four MVC regular-season championships, the 1941 NCAA Tournament and the 1942 and 1943 National Invitation Tournaments.
At Saint Louis, he registered an overall record of 211-89 and an MVC mark of 90-36 in 11 seasons (1947-58). He powered the Billikens to three MVC crowns, 1952 and 1957 NCAA Tournament appearances and the championship of the 1948 National Invitation Tournament.
He was selected Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 1952 and 1957.
Elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978, he coached at Marquette from 1958 to 1964, leading the Golden Eagles to the 1959 and 1961 NCAA Tournaments and becoming the first coach to take three different schools to the NCAA Division I Tournament.