A one-time Sunderland player, Dick Hughes played for Exeter City between 1932 and 1934 having signed from Bristol City where he had made over 250 league appearances. 

An England schools international, Dick signed for Sunderland in 1919 but he didn't make the first-team and soon joined Bristol City. Staying at Ashton Gate for eleven years, he went on to feature in 268 league matches for the Robins.

Signing for Exeter City in 1932 Dick made his debut for the Grecians in a 1-0 defeat at Bristol Rovers on 3 December 1932 which was the first of 13 league appearances he made during his first season with the club. 

Covering for regular full-backs Jimmy Gray and Charlie Miller, Dick was restricted to another thirteen appearances during the whole of the 1933/34 campaign. Now approaching his 32nd birthday, Dick announced his retirement and later became landlord of the Old Inn at Hutton near Weston-super-Mare.