Tabor College head football coach Mike Gardner has hired Billy Hickman to serve as his offensive coordinator.

Hickman, 25, played offensive tackle under Gardner in the head coach’s first stint at Tabor and was a senior team captain in 2007. He graduated in 2008 with a history degree.

Hickman held two assistant coaching positions at Colorado School of Mines, a NCAA Division II school, in Golden, Colo.

He coached the offensive line in 2008 and tight ends last year.

Two Oredigger linemen and tight ends were named to all-conference teams during his tenure.

CSM ran a spread offense and posted back-to-back, 8-3 seasons during Hickman’s two years at the school.

“Billy knows the playbook, but more importantly he knows how to put players in the best position to be successful,” Gardner said.

“We will be using a lot of different offensive sets next season, and he will help us put our personnel in positions to be successful.”

Hickman is married to Traci Neufeld, a Hesston native, who played volleyball for Tabor and graduated in 2007.

The couple has an infant daughter.

Jake Schenk has also been retained as an assistant coach from the previous staff. Schenk coached the Blue Jay linebackers last season.