Workspace: Dan Hicken and Matt Robinson
Outside of serving as hosts of the annual Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame luncheon, Ch. 12/25 Sports Director Dan Hicken and HomeTeam Equity President and Cofounder Matt Robinson don’t have a lot in common. Hicken is a big-time Gator and Robinson played for the Bulldogs. But, once a year they set aside their collegiate differences for a couple of hours to host the luncheon.
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| Dan Hicken | Matt Robinson |
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| Hicken on the set at Ch. 12/25. | Robinson (second from left) talks with some his employees. |
by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Quick.
Who was the sports director at Ch. 12/25 before Dan Hicken?
Time’s up.
It was Glen Fisher and that was 18 years ago.
Hicken actually joined the station as a sports reporter in 1986 after graduating from the University of Florida. Five years later, he was promoted.
“I have the best job,” said Hicken, who is as big a Gators fan as any around.
Hicken is from upstate New York, but moved to Miami when he was young. He went to UF from 1981-85, graduated and started looking for a job.
“I got in my car when I knew I was going to graduate and drove around the state meeting people,” said Hicken. “A guy named Randy Ruditz really helped me. He taught me how to do the job.”
And, what a job. For the past 23 years Hicken has covered everything from high school sports to the Super Bowl. And, of course, the Gators.
“I love my alma mater. Every couple of years something great happens,” he said. “From the Gators to the NFL to doing radio and TV, there is always something. I am really blessed and I have zero regrets.”
Hicken said the best part of the job is the variety. Sporting events happen every day, what happens during those events makes the job interesting.
There is a down side, however, for Hicken, who does the 5, 6, 7 and 11 p.m. news and a radio show from 7-10 a.m.
“Missing some of my children’s’ events because of my schedule,” he said. “I’ve done pretty good at making most. If I could, I’d coach.”
You’d think someone who lives, eats and breathes sports would take vacations to the Caribbean and sit on the beach with a mai tai and take naps. You would be wrong.
“I go see the Mets. I’m a sports guy. It’s the only thing I know,” said Hicken. “I can’t fix anything. I can’t make anything. I’m a sports guy.”
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Staff Writer
Matt Robinson was playing quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs when three significant things happened: the Dogs lost the national title game to a Tony Dorsett-led Pittsburgh Panthers team, the “Junkyard Dogs” nickname was given to the defense and the seniors started shaving their heads.
In between, just about everything has happened to the Bulldogs. There’s been a national title (1980) and a Heisman trophy (Herschel Walker in ‘82), the famous “Run Lindsay” play during the ‘80 Georgia-Florida game, coaching changes, SEC titles, big wins and a few disappointing losses.
Through it all, Robinson has played in the NFL with three teams (the New York Jets, Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills), played in the USFL for Jacksonville and spent several years working for the Jaguars.
Today, Robinson is president and cofounder of HomeTeam Equity. The Phillips Highway company acquires small mortgage firms for the purpose of consolidating their volume. Robinson and his staff — he co-founded the company with CEO Edward Parnell — use that leverage to get better pricing and underwriting from lenders. In today’s real estate market, that strategy is helping keep people in their homes and the inventory off the banks’ books. They started the company is April of 2007.
“It was bad at the time, but 2008 was the worst year ever,” said Robinson. “Smaller firms were getting muscled out and attaching themselves to bigger firms to keep their identity. We also offer the smaller firms an exit strategy. We are privately held and employee owned.”
Robinson said business is good and he expects it to get better.
“We lost a ton of money last year, but that’s OK,” he said. “The future is extremely bright and things will be better by January of 2010.”
That future includes the addition of former professional athletes such as Phil Esposito and Jan Stephenson. Robinson said through an agreement, the former athletes will help “market” the company through their contacts.
“They will be part owners,” he said.
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