Keith Hicks retires after 27 years in sporting goods in Evansville
EVANSVILLE — Although Keith Hicks wasn’t an athlete, he’s been a lifelong sports fan.
He cheers on the Tennessee Volunteers, enjoys following the career of Peyton Manning, and even befriends former University of Southern Indiana coach Bruce Pearl. Hicks was also the goaltender for the Reitz boys’ basketball team for 18 years. His passion and love for athletics led to a 37-year career in the local sporting goods industry supplying many high school and college teams in the Evansville area.
And after decades of working at Gus Doerner and BSN Sports, Hicks recently retired.
The 1974 North graduate had no plans to embark on a long career outfitting teams with uniforms. He initially worked in the railroad industry until a recession hit in the 1980s, forcing him to work various jobs to support his family. In 1986, Gus Doerner brought Hicks on as a salesman for his Eastland Mall store.
The rest was history.
“You meet a lot of great people in this business,” Hicks said. “You meet a lot of coaches, sports directors, school principals and athletes. The clients I’ve had, I adored them all. I think deep down they also appreciated what we did for them.”
One of Hicks’ many loyal clients was Boonville football coach Darin Ward – the two have known each other since Ward was in high school. When the Pioneers defeated Reitz in the Class 3A semifinals last year, Hicks was one of the first to congratulate the team on the win.
“He’s just the ultimate professional in his field,” Ward said. “All I ever needed was I called and texted him any time of the day or night and he always answers and replies.”
When Henderson County boys’ basketball coach Tyler Smithhart was hired to run his alma mater, he wanted his team to wear Nike uniforms. Hicks came in to make the connection. Smithhart immediately noted how genuinely Hicks was interested in developing a relationship both with himself and with the Colonels’ program.
“We hit it off right away,” Smithhart said. “He’s easy to talk to and he knows a lot about sport at all levels. (He’s) really a great guy and fun to talk to.”
The Reitz boys’ basketball coach, Austin Brooks, first met Hicks as a referee, but the two became closer when Brooks transferred from day school to Boonville. Hicks made Brooks feel welcome from day one and always went out of his way to ensure Brooks had the supplies he needed.
The level of professionalism Hicks displayed never changed when Brooks joined the Panthers. He stayed on as a goalie after former coach Michael Adams retired, and would give Brooks his favorite candy – lifesavers – before every game.
“I don’t think anyone has anything negative to say about this man. You can’t,” Brooks said. “He’s too kind, goes out of his way and puts his personal needs and things aside to make sure you and your program are happy. To others he might just have been a gear guy, but to me I am.” I value his relationship and always will. I love him like family.”
Hicks was scheduled to retire in 2021, but his eldest son, Bryan, was shot in the head while on duty in Posey County in September. His family thought it would be better for him to keep working so he could keep busy during this difficult time.
Many in the community, as well as his colleagues, joined the Hicks family in a show of support. Hicks had an email thread with various coaches and people he’d worked with on Bryan’s recovery over the years.
“I’ve always appreciated Keith’s news about his son and taken inspiration from it as he progressed,” Smithhart said. “Seeing him go through this process, bringing us up to speed and Bryan’s recovery improving, that was special to be a part of.”
“With a lot of support from this community, he’s doing very, very well,” Hicks added. “We’ll be fine in the end.”
Talking to customers is something Hicks misses the most in retirement. He also misses his colleagues, like former Reitz football coach Andy Hape and Jeff Neel, who have worked with Hicks since their days at Gus Doerner.
Still, Hiccup soaks up every part of this next chapter. He and his wife Cindy visited Disney World before his retirement in May and then vacationed in Yellowstone and Badlands National Parks last month.
It was the first trip on which Hicks didn’t bring a laptop or iPad with him so he could keep track of his work.
“My wife and I have a lot of fun together,” Hicks said. “I’m looking forward to spending lots of time with her and our other family and just getting away and doing a few things. We are actually planning a few more trips here before the summer is over. We’ I’m just excited.
Courier & Press sports reporter Treasure Washington can be reached at her email address [email protected] and on Twitter at @Twashington490.