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Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Aaron Dubner
10/16/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 16, 2002
There are a couple of old saying that everyone has heard, but few ill acknowledge how greatly they have affected their lives: "It's not what you know, but who you know" and It's sometimes better to be lucky than good."
FAU Director of Ticket Operation Aaron Dubner recognizes that his young life has been greatly affected by the people around him. And while his strong work ethic is a big reason he is where he is today, he acknowledges that he probably would not have made it without those people and maybe a little luck.
His family, consisting of his mother, Roberta, his father, Mel, who recently passed away, and his brother, Adam, are the first he mentions when discussing the most important things in his life.
"The sudden death of my father really put life into perspective and made me realize what's important," says Dubner. "I was lucky, I didn't have to look any further than my home for my role models."
Baseball, a distant second in his life's influence, was a constant in the Dubner household growing up.
Aaron's journey began in Queens, New York, where he was born about 15 minutes from She Stadium, so naturally he became a huge Mets fan. The family soon moved to Montclair, NJ, but baseball remained a big part of his life. His dad played semi-pro baseball back in the '50s and his brother made it to spring training with the Cleveland Indians. Aaron's playing career, though promising, was cut short. After making the 1993-94 University of Miami team as an outfielder, he was told that the recurring injuries sustained in a high school car accident would end his dream and any possibility of his continuing his season or a career in baseball.
"I think it's important to take something from each day and learn from it," says Dubner.
Acting on that premise, Dubner quickly turned his interests to student government and a total college experience. Despite his disappointment at not being able to participate in collegiate sports, he used other opportunities to open different doors, including an invitation to work with Vice President Al Gore as a White House assistant.
"That e3xperience was both educational and exciting and one that I look back on with great pride" says Dubner.
In 1997, Dubner earned his degree from UM in criminology and liberal arts with a minor in sports management. His career in ticketing began at an afternoon meeting with one of his former sports management professors. Dubner was in between jobs and wanted to get his foot in the door with a professional sports organization. While talking with his professor, the fax machine ran and out came a job announcement with the Pro Player Stadium Ticket Office. The professor handed Aaron the fax and said, "Go get an interview." The 26-year-old got the interview and eventually became one of the key figures for Marlins and Dolphins ticketing, a position he held for three years.
"All I was looking for was a chance to prove myself and what I could do," says Dubner.
Always fascinated by the legal system, his summer of 2002 was highlighted with an acceptance letter from law school and an offer letter from Coach Schnellenberger to serve as director of ticket operations for FAU. His interest in athletics and the opportunity to be close to his family --- now consisting of his mother, brother, sister-in-law Kim, Uncle Ted and two-year-old niece Sarah --- won out and he joined FAU in late July.
"I knew that former ticket operations director John Pacifico had left the office in good shape and after I met with Coach Schnellenberger, my mind was made up," says Dubner. "Coach spoke of the things that he wanted to happen here and that really made me believe in the program and its future."
Dubner describes his position as one of design, management, accounting, reporting and customer service. He is often put in the position of not seeing the fans at their best. It is those times that he dons his problem-solver hat.
"Most people just want you to listen," he says. "I listen, try to see it from their point of view and then rectify the problem. That is all any customer usually wants and that is what we try to provide."
The love of a challenge, coupled with the passion and desire to excel, make Dubner a perfect fit for the growing FAU football program.
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