Florida Citrus Sports and CEO Steve Hogan Honored with Award of Excellence at 2025 Golden Brick Awards
Downtown Orlando Partnership recognizes FCS for 80 Years of Impact Celebration and Hogan for three decades of leadership
ORLANDO, Florida (Tuesday, May 5, 2026) — Florida Citrus Sports was recognized Tuesday morning with the Award of Excellence at the 2025 Golden Brick Awards, presented by the Downtown Orlando Partnership at its annual awards ceremony in Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Phillips Center. The honor acknowledged both the 80 Years of Impact Celebration presented by AdventHealth and the leadership of FCS CEO Steve Hogan, who marked 30 years with the organization last August.
Presented by AdventHealth, the Golden Brick Awards are DOP’s exclusive annual awards celebrating the people, projects and initiatives that propelled downtown Orlando forward over the previous year. The Award of Excellence recognizes outstanding achievements and exceptional performance that significantly contribute to the success and advancement of Downtown Orlando.
The 80 Years of Impact Celebration was a season-long campaign rooted in Downtown Orlando from start to finish. The effort brought activations to Ivanhoe Park, Mills 50, Thornton Park and other vibrant neighborhoods across the urban core, with campaign partnerships driving traffic to businesses while directing a portion of proceeds to Lift Orlando, an FCS partner organization dedicated to strengthening The Communities of West Lakes.
As part of the programming, FCS held a speaker event with ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit at Country Club of Orlando, a milestone anniversary party at Great Southern Box Co. and a legacy panel at the Orange County Regional History Center, featuring multiple generations of the Stuart family, whose ties to the bowl game span decades. A coffee table book tracing the history of the Citrus Bowl also debuted with a launch event at the Downtown Orlando Public Library.
The campaign culminated on New Year’s Eve with the 80th Cheez-It Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium, a 41-27 Texas victory over Michigan that drew 9.1 million viewers on ABC — the highest TV audience of any bowl game outside the College Football Playoff.
Hogan, a Chicago-area native and UCF graduate, joined FCS in 1995 and has served as CEO since August 2006. Under his leadership, FCS has grown into a globally respected force in live events, civic engagement, collegiate athletics and major soccer, establishing Orlando as a go-to host for the biggest moments in college football, professional sports and beyond.
“To be recognized alongside the work of an entire team, and for a celebration that reflects 80 years of history in this city, means a great deal to all of us at FCS,” Hogan said. “Downtown Orlando has been home to the Citrus Bowl since the very first game in 1947, and the story of our organization has always been tied to the story of this community. We’re grateful to the Downtown Orlando Partnership and its Board of Directors for this honor and for the continued partnership that makes events like ours possible.”