AUSTIN, Texas — It is pretty rare for Cameron Dickey to leave the football field. The senior at Crockett High School in Austin plays on both sides of the ball and special teams.
“He plays both ways, offense, defense, and he’s our punter,” says Darrick Norton, Crockett head football coach.
“I’d do anything for these guys here, they’re like a family to me,” Dickey said. “I want to help them any way I can and playing both ways is a great way to do it.”
Dickey has been making a major impact for the Cougars since starting on varsity as a freshman. Last year he led them to their first winning season since 2008 and he’s also the first major recruit they've had since that same season. He’s bringing attention to a program that doesn’t normally get it.
“It’s amazing. I feel like it really opens up some doors for some of my other brothers,” Dickey said. “Other schools are going to start coming here seeing the other guys we got, and the great talent we’ve got coming through here.”
“It shows what hard work and dedication can do,” said Coach Norton. “Having the opportunity to have a Power 5 player like him, and I’ve coached some other ones, he is the best athlete I’ve ever coached.”
While Coach Norton has seen Dickey’s ability for years now, it took colleges a little while to catch on to how special of a player he is.
“It was pretty slow going through my junior year but after that it started picking up,” Dickey said of his recruitment. “A great school hit me up and the rest is history.”
That school that hit Dickey up and recruited him hard was Texas Tech. Back in early June he committed to the Red Raiders.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Dickey. “Able to prove people wrong who say I’m not going to make it. It’s a great thing to me.”
“Cam has always worked hard,” Coach Norton said. “He’s not really the rah-rah leader as much as he is the leader by example.”
That work ethic is something Dickey can take with him to Lubbock. He’s excited for what the future holds on and off the field. Dickey plans to study computer engineering in college.
“My motivation I’d say is that my parents both went to college but they weren’t able to finish it,” said Dickey. “I want to pick up where they left off, get a good degree and be able to make a good life for myself.”
Before he heads off to college, Dickey is enjoying his final high school season and trying to get Crockett back into the playoffs. He is also soaking in one final year of being teammates with his younger brother. Caleb Dickey is a starting defensive end for the Cougars. The Dickey brothers are pretty competitive out at practice.
“We go at it every day,” Cameron Dickey said. “He is a great player and makes me better getting away from the tackle, making me have to get shifty back there. It’s a great battle between me and him.”
Crockett is 2-3 after five games this season but coming off their best performance of the year in a 56-0 win over LASA. In that game, Dickey had five rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown.