 Dickens was hired as the head Football coach at IU in 1957 after his success at Wofford College and Wyoming.Knowing that the Hoosiers were at a recruiting disadvantage, Dickens blatantly disregarded the rules, with reports of seventeen violations by the IU football program in his first three months.Reports stated that the school offered, "$50 per month, or expense-paid travel between the prospects hometown and Bloomington."