PLAYER’S POINT OF VIEW
Dorin Dickerson named full-time co-host on ‘The Fan’
As a communications major at the University of Pittsburgh, Dorin Dickerson was always told that he had a gift for gab. Little did he know how well that would serve him after his playing days were done.
It was “The KDKA Radio Morning Show” host Larry Richert who first suggested that the 34-year-old Imperial native give radio a try. A week after that conversation, Dickerson found himself on the air with no real idea of what he was doing. He officially started doing Pitt and Steelers pregame shows for 93.7 The Fan in 2017 and slowly began to grow more comfortable behind the microphone.
“Ever since then, every single time I’ve been on the radio, I’ve loved it more and more,” Dickerson told the Post-Gazette. “I still have that love and passion, and I feel like I haven’t scratched the surface yet.”
Pittsburghers will be able to hear Dickerson regularly when he becomes a full-time co-host of “The Fan Morning Show” starting Aug. 1. He’ll replace longtime “Morning Show” co-host Jim Colony, who retired as a fulltime host and reporter earlier this year.
Getting to talk sports with Chris Mack and Colin Dunlap five days a week is more than Dickerson could have hoped for when he first stepped into the radio space five years ago.
“To see it come to fruition is kind of surreal,” he said. “I just want to get better and bring my knowledge to the city of Pittsburgh on all sports. I’m very thankful for the opportunity, and I’m just excited to get rolling.”
Dickerson was the 2005 Pennsylvania Player of the Year at West Allegheny High School and a 2009 first-team All-American tight end during his time at Pitt. He spent six years in the NFL — including a brief stint on the Steelers’ practice squad — before an Achilles injury ended his athletic career.
Getting to make a name for himself in his hometown is “exactly how I would’ve drawn it up” going into high school, Dickerson said. These days, though, his football accolades are beginning to take a backseat to his radio work in terms of how Pittsburghers see him. He said it has become quite common in recent years for folks to hear his voice and connect him with The Fan before they realize he was also a star tight end at Pitt.
“I’m not just defined as a former football player,” he said. “My life in football has done so many great things for me. But to be recognized as someone on the radio who talks sports and people actually listen to for insight, it’s humbling at times and an awesome experience.”
Radio presented a steep learning curve for Dickerson. It took him a while to navigate small details like transitions, teases, and getting in and out of breaks. He would often listen to himself to figure out what kinks needed to be ironed out, as well as to veterans like Chris Mueller, Joe Starkey and Andrew Fillipponi. Like any good ex-athlete, Dickerson knew “it’s all about reps” when it comes to getting better at anything.
He quickly realized that his perspective as someone who played high school, college and professional sports was his ticket to carving out a niche for himself on The Fan.
“I never make anything up because I don’t have to,” he said. “I don’t have to give an off-the-wall hot take the majority of the time because I did have the opportunity to play the game. Whenever I speak, I speak from experience. I played six years and I saw a lot. I’m going to tell you actually what’s going on, not just what you perceive to be going on. I love bringing that to the table.”
For Dickerson, working in sports media is the perfect middle ground between still playing and coaching, which was too much of an investment for him to make at this stage in his life. He still gets to be involved with the sports he loves without the “extremes of the sports” putting
unnecessary stress on his body and mind.
Colony is “in his own category” to Dickerson in terms of how beloved he was in this role for so long. He recalled being on the radio with Colony after his senior year at Pitt and watching him do his thing live. His main goals as a “The Fan Morning Show” co-host will be to help “people wake up in the morning” and give them something positive to think about on their commutes to work.
The former athlete in Dickerson knows that individual brilliance doesn’t always breed collective success. It’s about being “the best as a team,” and he’s excited to see what kind of radio magic he, Dunlap and Mack are capable of making once he permanently joins them on air.
“I hope they bring the best out of me, and I hope I bring the best out of them,” he said. “As long as we work together and tap into each other, I think we’ll have a fantastic show that people will want to listen to every single morning.”