Bicknell was a three-year letterwinner on the Boston College offensive line for his father, head coach Jack Bicknell. He was the starting center during Doug Flutie's 1984 Heisman Trophy winning season. He started in the 1985 Cotton Bowl Classic and played in the 1982 Tangerine Bowl. He was the starting center in BC's 1984 defeat over Miami and snapped the ball during the famous Hail Flutie play. As a senior at BC, Bicknell received the Scanlan Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a BC football player.
New Hampshire
Bicknell began his coaching career in 1986 as a graduate assistant at Boston College. In 1987, he became the New Hampshire Wildcats defensive line coach and in 1993 took over the offensive line. During his time at UNH, the Wildcats won the Yankee Conference championship in 1991 and 1994 and were the New England Division champions in 1996.
Bicknell left the University of New Hampshire in 1997 to serve as the offensive line coach for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. When head coach Gary Crowton left to become the Chicago Bearsoffensive coordinator in 1999, Bicknell was promoted to replace him. In his first season as head coach, he led the Bulldogs to an 8–3 record, the school's first AP Top 25 ranking, and a 29–28 upset win over eventual SEC champion Alabama. In 2001, Louisiana Tech won the Western Athletic Conference championship during its first year of membership, earning Bicknell conference Coach of the Year honors. Louisiana Tech played Clemson in the Crucial.com Humanitarian Bowl, the program's first postseason appearance since 1990. During his tenure at Louisiana Tech, Bicknell's teams defeated national powers Alabama, Michigan State and Oklahoma State. 22 of his players were either drafted by or signed free agent contracts with National Football League teams. Bicknell was fired on December 4, 2006 after a 3–10 season.
Boston College
On December 12, 2007, Bicknell was hired by Texas Tech to serve as their offensive line coach. However, when Boston College offensive line coach Jim Turner resigned that August, Bicknell left the Red Raiders to rejoin BC. In 2007, BC's offensive line ranked first in the ACC in sacks against, allowing just 22 sacks all season. His offensive line also paved the way for an ACC-leading 5,951 yards of total offense and a record breaking season by quarterback Matt Ryan. Bicknell also oversaw the development of Anthony Castonzo, the first true freshman to start on the BC offensive line since 1997 and a member of the All-ACC freshman team.
