The pipeline from athlete to employment in the sports industry is a popular and tested way for retired players to continue working in the field that they love. The most famous sports commentators, coaches and analysts are often professionals who have firsthand experience in what they discuss.
Former Pitt football player Dorin Dickerson lives in this paradigm. Dickerson — who played tight end at Pitt from 2006 to 2009 — currently serves as a football commentator and analyst on the radio for Pitt football games.
Prior to his career in sports media, the former Pitt tight end was picked up by the Texans in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Dickerson had a six-year career in the NFL, playing for the Texans, Steelers, Patriots, Bills, Lions and Titans. Dickerson saw limited playing time in the pros, but still recorded 11 receptions and 151 yards during his NFL career.
Dickerson now works as a sports radio host for Audacy, alongside being a sideline analyst for Pitt football. He works as a full-time co-host on 93.7 The Fan, The Fan Morning Show. The show airs Monday through Friday from 5:40 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Pitt Executive Associate Athletic Director E.J. Borghetti said Dickerson is a perfect fit for radio.
“Dorin brings great knowledge and experience to The Fan Morning Show,” Borghetti said. “He knows what it’s like to put on a pair of NFL shoulder pads and be embedded in that high-pressure business.”
The former Pitt standout was also a part of major breakthroughs for Pitt in the media world, such as the first ACC broadcast on the CW Network. On this broadcast, Dickerson worked as a sideline reporter as Pitt took on Cincinnati in their second game of the 2022-2023 season.
“He is a great asset for our Pitt football radio team,” Borghetti said. “His expertise and passion for Pitt really shines through.”
While Dickerson’s wealth of football knowledge and experience is crucial to his career in sports media, what makes him truly stand out is his personality. From telling comical stories about his college days to providing detailed analysis of Pitt football, Dickerson’s character is his biggest asset on the radio. Borghetti said Dickerson’s entertaining, yet put-together presence made him a great voice for Pitt football during his playing days.
“Dorin is doing what he was born to do,” Borghetti said. “For as long as I’ve known him — going on 18 years now — he has always been incredibly articulate, thoughtful and insightful. As a player, he was a go-to guy for me anytime we needed a strong voice to represent us in press conferences or on a broadcast.”
Former Pitt quarterback and Dickerson teammate Pat Bostick agreed, attesting to the radio host’s work ethic and persistence as a football player, which directly translated to his role on the radio.
“His pursuit of broadcasting, his persistence, you could see it as a player,” Bostick said. “The work ethic was evident as a player.”
Bostick also mentioned Dickerson’s love for horror movies and his time in the WWE and how that contributes to his radio persona.
“Dorin is a big Michael Myers, horror movie guy,” Bostick said. “He dabbled in pro wrestling a little bit, so he has got this actor side to him that he taps into on the radio for sure. Let us just say if you are going to a Halloween party and Dorin is there, you have got to be ready and he is not shy to talk about it.”
As a close friend of Dickerson, Bostick described the type of person Dickerson is to work with.
“He is personable, he is a family guy,” Bostick said. “He has got three kids, he is active in the community. He is a fun guy and that shows through — that is one of the talents he has, being professional and not being dry. Having that personality — he is all Pittsburgh, and that is why it is fun to work with him, he is himself on the air and you do not get that with everybody.”
Before his commentating career truly blossomed, Dickerson dipped his hand in the construction business, helping out his city along the way. Dickerson worked for Pittsburgh’s Mascaro Construction Company as the community outreach manager.
Following his stint in construction, Dickerson took a job with the Penguins as director of project development on the Lower Hill project in 2020. With the Penguins, Dickerson managed the $1 billion redevelopment project of the former Civic Arena site.
“We want to try to meet everyone’s expectations and make this a win for everybody,” Dickerson said at the time in an article from TribLive. “The Penguins want this to be successful and, once this is built, to sustain jobs for the Lower Hill.”
Dickerson’s professional experience and entertaining personality have given him a successful career in sports media. Still, Dickerson remains focused on his community and family. Dickerson grew up just 17 miles away from Pittsburgh in Imperial, Pennsylvania, and retains a palpable love for his regional roots.
The former Panther also started a family of his own during his long career in the world of sports. In a profile for VisitPittsburgh.com, Dickerson said he hopes his career and life will serve as a lesson to his three sons.
“Now that I have three young sons of my own, it would be a disservice for me to not expose them to the successes and failures I’ve endured in my life,” Dickerson said to VisitPittsburgh.com. “I just hope that they inherit my same mentality and push forward to become leaders of their generation and manifest their own ‘Journey’ one day.”