Three years ago, Kevin Hicks was one of the rising stars in U.S. track and field.

The Florida A&M sophomore won the NCAA indoor title in the 800 meters, took second at the NCAA outdoor meet with a time of 1 minute, 44.94 seconds, and placed third at the U.S. outdoor championships to earn a trip to Helsinki for the 2005 World Championships.

The future looked bright for Hicks.

He was ranked third in the U.S. in the 800 by Track & Field News, and his exploits were being compared to the school’s two former Olympians — the late Bob Hayes (1964) and Rey Robinson (1972), the present FAMU coach.

Hicks decided to turn pro after his sophomore season, but in terms of competition, the past two years have been marred by injury and illness, which he said was most likely related to that “long, exhausting 2005 season.”