Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame

BOB DICKMAN began his career in the sporting goods industry at a very early age, at Kesslers Sport Shop in Richmond, Indiana. He followed in the footsteps of his father, Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame honoree Cliff Dickman (Class of 1995). Cliff purchased Kesslers in 1958 from its founder, Phillip “Whitey” Kessler, after working two years for Whitey.

Cliff and his wife, Martha Jane, became the parents of eight children. Each of the children worked at Kesslers, starting as soon as they could push a broom. They all worked there through high school and college. Bob began full time in the business in 1976, first in retail, then traveling to area schools for team sales. He was also responsible for purchasing and interaction with the company’s buying group. Cliff entered politics at that time, with brother-in-law Bob Luerman managing the business. The untimely death of Bob Dickman’s uncle in 1982 left him in charge of the company at the age of 24.

When Bob joined the business, Kesslers had sales of approximately $1 million annually, one location, and one outside salesman. By the early 1990s the focus of the business began to shift towards a team sales platform, and less emphasis was placed on the retail side of the business. Bob guided Kesslers on a historic expansion of the team sales division that led the company to reach nine states, with 20 sales offices and 75 sales pros. In 2002, Kesslers was recognized as the largest team dealer in the country, with sales exceeding $30 million.

In 2004, Bob and his brothers, Phil and Dan, who were partners in Kesslers, were looking to further the accelerated growth rate for the company and its 220 employees. They decided to be acquired by Collegiate Pacific, a publicly traded company in the sporting goods catalog business. Collegiate Pacific merged with Sport Supply Group to form what is now BSN Sports, one of the largest suppliers of team uniforms and equipment in the United States.

Bob Dickman served as Chairman of the NSGA Board in 2009 and 2010 and was Chairman of the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame Committee from 2011-2014. Bob is currently Senior Vice President at BSN Sports. Bob and his wife Rhonda, who married in 1980, have three children and five grandchildren.

Please note: This biography was produced from the nominating materials in the candidate’s nominating year, so the information is not current.