Born in Welch, West Virginia, Hawkins graduated from South Charleston High School in 1955.
From 1956–58, Hawkins played college football at South Carolina; he rushed for 1,491 yards and was voted the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) player of the year as a senior and was a third-team All-American.
Hawkins was the thirteenth player selected in the second round of the 1959 NFL Draft, but was released in mid-September by first-year head coach Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers. The first four rounds of the draft were held in early December 1958, nearly two months before Lombardi was hired. Hawkins was picked up by Baltimore Colts, and they repeated as NFL champions his rookie season, defeating the New York Giants 31–16 in the title game in Baltimore.

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