Last week may have ended her career as a full-time employee with the Missouri S&T Athletic Department.
But Debbie Hickey will always bleed Green & Gold. And she will always be a part of the Miner athletic “family.”
Hickey’s last day in the S&T Athletic Office was Friday, July 18, as she retired from the department. Despite that, however, she will continue to work at the school, in the University Division of Student Success, and will be operating out of Norwood Hall.
“I’m going to go help (that department) out where I can,” Hickey said. “I’ll be a floater over there, help out where they need me. And I will still come over here (to the athletic department) and help, too. I will probably work football games, among other things. I’m also a volleyball official and will still do that.”
However, for more than 30 years the S&T Athletic Department was home away from home for Hickey, age 62.
She began working at the university in November, 1986, serving in the accounting and fiscal services office. Then Hickey moved over to the athletic department during the 1993-94 school year as secretary.
While in the athletic department, she served in a variety of roles, including as secretary, senior secretary, budget compliance, NCAA compliance, budget facility operations; senior woman’s administrator and assistant director of athletics.
Hickey retired with the title of S&T Assistant Director of Athletics - Business and Senior Woman’s Administrator.
She has been in charge of handling all budget matters for the university’s athletic department and also assisted in NCAA eligibility matters for the more than 400 student-athletes in the school’s athletic department.
She is also a certified high school volleyball official, and plans to continue to serve in that capacity.
Hickey also graduated from S&T in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
So she’s a Miner through and through!
During her time in athletics, Hickey has seen both the good times and bad times at the university. The overwhelming majority of them have been good, she says.
“I’ve seen a lot of changes facility-wise, finance-wise, support-wise, fan engagement-wise and student involvement-wise,” she said. “When I got here there was no tailgating going on. Now, we rent tailgate spots. We’ve deleted some sports; we’ve added some sports. As an example, men’s volleyball has been a good addition. And this coming year will be the first year men’s volleyball will be a conference sport (in the Great Lakes Valley Conference), and we’re excited about that.”
