WVU Sports Hall of Fame

Inducted: 2005

Written by Shelly Poe

The late Roger "Shorty" Hicks was a key member of WVU's 1942 NIT championship basketball team; his foul shot with just seconds remaining gave WVU the lead over Western Kentucky in the title game, a 47-45 Mountaineer win.

The Moundsville, W.Va., native and 1938 honors graduate of Moundsville High was given a position on the College All-Star Squad. The 5-11 cager averaged 7.0 points per game for his career, and held the WVU season free throw percentage record (88.0%) for 60 years.

A tremendous student leader, he was student body president at WVU, president of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, a member of the prestigious Mountain, Sphinx and letterman's honoraries, as well as the student member of the Athletic Board. He served as proctor of Men's Hall and coached the freshman basketball team in 1942-43.

Hicks spent four years as a member of ROTC at WVU before joining the U.S. Army, advancing to the rank of second lieutenant. After serving as an instructor at Fort Benning, Ga., he volunteered for combat in October, 1944, and was killed on November 10, 1944, in combat at Metz, France, with the 328th Regiment, 26th Division of General Patton's Third Army during World War II.