It will be 10 years next week since Greg Williams walked off The Ticket's thriving Hardline in mid-show, leaving Mike Rhyner without his sports-talk partner of almost 14 years.

Into the breach stepped Corby Davidson, who had been the show's third voice. Davidson -- better known to listeners simply as Corby or Cobra -- and Rhyner have been together ever since. The show has remained a ratings winner. In fact, it was the top-rated sports-talk show in the key demographic -- men 25-54 -- in the Dallas-Fort Worth market during the most recent ratings periods.

Davidson joined "The Ticket" KTCK-AM (1310) as an intern in October 1994, a little more than eight months after it debuted as Dallas-Fort Worth's first all-sports radio station. It didn't hurt his getting the internship that his lifelong friend Jeff Catlin, now the station's program director, was already at The Ticket as a producer.

Three months later, Davidison, an Arlington Lamar grad who went to college at TCU and North Texas, landed a fulltime job as the station's weekend board operator. But Davidson's big break came in 1996 when Chris Arnold selected him to produce Arnold's weekday 10 a.m.-noon show. Three years later, Davidson moved on again. This time he joined Bob Sturm and Dan McDowell as a third voice on fledgling BaD Radio.

Davidson enjoyed working with Bob and Dan so much that when then-program director Bruce Gilbert asked him if he wanted to move on to The Hardline in a similar role he said, "No."

However, "It wasn't really a question," Davidson says now.

And so, like it or not, Davidson joined the afternoon-drive Hardline in 2000, which set the stage for replacing Williams a decade ago.

At 48, Davidson, who is married and the father of two sons, lives in Lake Highlands.

Thought this might be a good time to catch up with Davidson.

How important was being at the right place at the right time in getting you to where you are today?

Ha! I tell every human being this when they ask about my job. I was the right age (23) when the station started and was able to advance relatively quickly because of general turnover at a new station. Now don't get me wrong, I worked my butt off. But there's no doubt if the station would have started five years earlier or five years later, it wouldn't have been in the cards for me.

What was your biggest break at the station?

Getting the producer job for Chris Arnold. He saw something in me, lord knows what, but he gave me a shot.

Who approached you about replacing Greg Williams on the Hardline?

Nobody "asked." We just started doing shows with four hours to fill every day. After awhile it was obvious that this was how it was going to be. So I guess technically I was never hired for the job. It's still open.

But you did get a bump in pay, didn't you?

Not immediately. I had to ride out my contract.

What's your favorite topic to talk about?

College football. I'm a junkie. I watch and read waaaaay too much about it. But I like any segment when we are all laughing because I know the listeners are laughing too. That's the best feeling in the world, crying laughing at work.

What's the biggest thing you've learned about Rhyner since you started co-hosting?

You gotta remember I worked with Mike every day for seven years before I was the "co-host," so I knew him pretty well. Nothing changed after Greg left, except that he [Rhyner] was a lot happier person. There was a lot of baggage there. I can't believe it was 10 years ago. It's been a wild decade, that's for sure.

What remains your favorite bit from your pre-co-host days when you lugged a tape recorder and microphone around for the station?

It is and always will be my interaction with Shaq. He's the best, such a sweetheart of a guy. Totally understood how to use the media to his benefit. Now that he's on the other side tearing it up, it warms my heart.

What Ticket outsiders are you inviting to your eventual retirement party?

Well, I have the Bob Stoops idea that I won't be working into my 60s. I've got a 10-year plan and then I'm out. That will give me about 35 years at the station, and that seems like waaaay too much me. Will let the Jake Kemps of the world lead into the next life. As for outsiders, I hope Coach [Barry] Switzer is around then. I'd like to hoist a beer with him. And my dogs. I love my dogs. Oh, and my kids, assuming they don't hate me by then. And my wife, if she hasn't left me by then. That's about it.

Twitter: @bhorn55