Will Robinson (basketball)
Encyclopedia
Will Robinson was an American
college basketball
coach and scout. Robinson became the first African-American
head coach
in Division I history when he accepted the position at Illinois State University
in 1970.
, and attended Steubenville High School
in Steubenville, Ohio
, where he quarterback
ed the football
team and played on the golf
team. Robinson led his football team to an undefeated, unscored upon season, and finished second in the state golf tournament despite not being allowed on the course with the white players. He was also the captain of the both the golf and football teams and also played baseball
and ran track
, the only player in state history to letter in five sports. Robinson also lettered in four sports at West Virginia State University
, graduating in 1937.
. Because of racial segregation
in West Virginia, Robinson was forced to attend graduate school
at the University of Michigan
, earning a master's in physical education. After finishing graduate school, Robinson still could not find a job, and returned to Steubenville, and later began coaching at a YMCA
in nearby Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. He also coached YMCA basketball in Chicago
, winning several city championships.
Robinson's YMCA success got him his first high school coaching job at DuSable High School
in Chicago. In 1943, Robinson was selected to take the head coaching position at Miller High School in Detroit. He was chosen as the person to calm an uneasy racial situation due to race riots in the city the previous summer. Robinson was the only black coach in Detroit for the next sixteen years. Robinson left Miller High and later went to Pershing High School in Detroit, where he won the state title in 1967 with a team led by Spencer Haywood
, Ralph Simpson
, Glenn Doughty
, Paul Seal
, and Marvin Lane
. He also coached Mel Daniels
, Big Daddy Lipscomb and Ted Sizemore
at the high school level. During his high school coaching career Robinson enabled more than 300 students to attend college, and organized coaching clinics for black coaches in the south, recruiting staff members of the Detroit Lions
and Detroit Tigers
to provide instruction. As a result of his efforts at the coaching clinics, Lions coach Buddy Parker
hired Robinson as the first black scout
in the NFL. As a scout Robinson discovered NFL Hall of Famers Charlie Sanders
and Lem Barney
.
In 1970 Robinson was hired as the head coach at Illinois State University
, making him the first black head coach in NCAA Division I basketball. He compiled a record of 78-51 from 1970–75. His best player during that time was Doug Collins
, the school's only consensus All-American and the #1 pick in the 1973 NBA Draft
. In 2003 Robinson received a lifetime achievement award from the Missouri Valley Conference
.
in 1976. Robinson was responsible for discovering Joe Dumars
and Dennis Rodman
, key members of the Pistons' championship teams in 1989
and 1990
. Robinson was actually offered the Pistons' head coaching position by general manager Jack McCloskey
, who gave the job to Chuck Daly
instead when Robinson turned down the position. Robinson retired from the Pistons in 2003, and during the 2003-04 NBA season
the Pistons named their locker room "Will Robinson Locker Room of Champions." The Pistons won their third NBA title that season.
Robinson died on April 28, 2008 at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit at the age of 96. For the remainder of the 2008 NBA Playoffs
, the Pistons uniforms wore a black patch in his memory.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
coach and scout. Robinson became the first African-American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
in Division I history when he accepted the position at Illinois State University
Illinois State University
Illinois State University , founded in 1857, is the oldest public university in Illinois; it is located in the town of Normal. ISU is considered a "national university" that grants a variety of doctoral degrees and strongly emphasizes research; it is also recognized as one of the top ten largest...
in 1970.
Early life
Robinson was born in Wadesboro, North CarolinaWadesboro, North Carolina
Wadesboro is a town in Anson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,780 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Anson County.-Geography:Wadesboro is located at ....
, and attended Steubenville High School
Steubenville High School
Steubenville High School is a public high school in Steubenville, Ohio. It is the only public high school in the Steubenville City Schools District. The school is commonly known by the name of its mascot, Big Red. Popular lore says the mascot got its name from the famous race horse, Man 'O War...
in Steubenville, Ohio
Steubenville, Ohio
Steubenville is a city located along the Ohio River in Jefferson County, Ohio on the Ohio-West Virginia border in the United States. It is the political county seat of Jefferson County. It is also a principal city of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, where he quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
ed the football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team and played on the golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
team. Robinson led his football team to an undefeated, unscored upon season, and finished second in the state golf tournament despite not being allowed on the course with the white players. He was also the captain of the both the golf and football teams and also played baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and ran track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, the only player in state history to letter in five sports. Robinson also lettered in four sports at West Virginia State University
West Virginia State University
West Virginia State University is a historically black public college in Institute, West Virginia, United States. In the Charleston-metro area, the school is usually referred to simply as "State" or "West Virginia State"...
, graduating in 1937.
Coaching career
After graduating from West Virginia State Robinson was unable to find a job, and sought a master's degreeMaster's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
. Because of racial segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
in West Virginia, Robinson was forced to attend graduate school
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, earning a master's in physical education. After finishing graduate school, Robinson still could not find a job, and returned to Steubenville, and later began coaching at a YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
in nearby Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. He also coached YMCA basketball in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, winning several city championships.
Robinson's YMCA success got him his first high school coaching job at DuSable High School
DuSable High School
DuSable High School was a public high school in Chicago opened in the Bronzeville neighborhood in 1934. It was named after Chicago's first permanent non-native settler, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable. DuSable was built to accommodate the growing Phillips High School in the 1930s. The campus was...
in Chicago. In 1943, Robinson was selected to take the head coaching position at Miller High School in Detroit. He was chosen as the person to calm an uneasy racial situation due to race riots in the city the previous summer. Robinson was the only black coach in Detroit for the next sixteen years. Robinson left Miller High and later went to Pershing High School in Detroit, where he won the state title in 1967 with a team led by Spencer Haywood
Spencer Haywood
Spencer Haywood is a retired American professional basketball player.- High school :In 1964, Haywood moved to Detroit, Michigan, where he attended Pershing High School...
, Ralph Simpson
Ralph Simpson
Ralph Derek Simpson is a retired American basketball player. He played professionally in the ABA and NBA from 1970 to 1980....
, Glenn Doughty
Glenn Doughty
Glenn Martin "Shake & Bake" Doughty is a former American football player. He played professional football as a wide receiver for the Baltimore Colts from 1972 to 1979 and college football as a tailback and wingback for the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1971. He later developed the Shake...
, Paul Seal
Paul Seal
Paul Nathan Seal is a former American football tight end in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the second round of the 1974 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan....
, and Marvin Lane
Marvin Lane
Marvin Lane , is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played from to and in with the Detroit Tigers.-Early years:...
. He also coached Mel Daniels
Mel Daniels
Melvin Joe Daniels is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6' 9" center, he played for the University of New Mexico Lobo men's basketball team from 1964-67...
, Big Daddy Lipscomb and Ted Sizemore
Ted Sizemore
Ted Crawford Sizemore was a second baseman for Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers , St...
at the high school level. During his high school coaching career Robinson enabled more than 300 students to attend college, and organized coaching clinics for black coaches in the south, recruiting staff members of the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
and Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
to provide instruction. As a result of his efforts at the coaching clinics, Lions coach Buddy Parker
Buddy Parker
Raymond "Buddy" Parker is a former football player and coach in the National Football League who served as head coach for three teams: the Chicago Cardinals, the Detroit Lions and the Pittsburgh Steelers....
hired Robinson as the first black scout
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
in the NFL. As a scout Robinson discovered NFL Hall of Famers Charlie Sanders
Charlie Sanders
Charles Alvin Sanders is a former American football player who played tight end for the Detroit Lions from 1968-77. On February 3, 2007, Sanders was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.-Playing career:...
and Lem Barney
Lem Barney
Lemuel Joseph "Lem" Barney is a former American Football cornerback who played for the Detroit Lions. He was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.-College years:...
.
In 1970 Robinson was hired as the head coach at Illinois State University
Illinois State University
Illinois State University , founded in 1857, is the oldest public university in Illinois; it is located in the town of Normal. ISU is considered a "national university" that grants a variety of doctoral degrees and strongly emphasizes research; it is also recognized as one of the top ten largest...
, making him the first black head coach in NCAA Division I basketball. He compiled a record of 78-51 from 1970–75. His best player during that time was Doug Collins
Doug Collins
Paul Douglas "Doug" Collins is a retired American basketball player, a former four-time NBA All-Star and currently the head coach of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers.-High school and college:...
, the school's only consensus All-American and the #1 pick in the 1973 NBA Draft
1973 NBA Draft
The 1973 NBA Draft was the 27th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on April 24, 1973 before the 1973–74 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players...
. In 2003 Robinson received a lifetime achievement award from the Missouri Valley Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...
.
The Pistons era
Will Robinson retired from Illinois State in 1975, and accepted a position as a scout for the Detroit PistonsDetroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
in 1976. Robinson was responsible for discovering Joe Dumars
Joe Dumars
Joe Dumars III , nicknamed Joe D, is a retired American basketball player in the NBA, and currently the Detroit Pistons' President of Basketball Operations....
and Dennis Rodman
Dennis Rodman
Dennis Keith Rodman is a retired American Hall of Fame professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, he was nicknamed "Dennis the Menace" and "The...
, key members of the Pistons' championship teams in 1989
1988-89 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers*Rookie of the Year: Mitch Richmond, Golden State Warriors*Defensive Player of the Year: Mark Eaton, Utah Jazz...
and 1990
1989-90 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-NBA awards:*Most Valuable Player: Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers*Rookie of the Year: David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs*Defensive Player of the Year: Dennis Rodman, Detroit Pistons...
. Robinson was actually offered the Pistons' head coaching position by general manager Jack McCloskey
Jack McCloskey
John William "Jack" McCloskey is a retired American basketball player, coach and executive in the NBA. He served in World War II as a lieutenant commanding a landing ship for Marines. He played one game for the Philadelphia Warriors during the 1953 season, scoring 6 points in that game...
, who gave the job to Chuck Daly
Chuck Daly
Charles Jerome "Chuck" Daly was an American basketball head coach. He led the Detroit Pistons to consecutive National Basketball Association Championships in 1989 and 1990, and the Dream Team to the men's basketball gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. He had a 14-year NBA coaching...
instead when Robinson turned down the position. Robinson retired from the Pistons in 2003, and during the 2003-04 NBA season
2003-04 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves*Rookie of the Year: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers*Defensive Player of the Year: Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers...
the Pistons named their locker room "Will Robinson Locker Room of Champions." The Pistons won their third NBA title that season.
Robinson died on April 28, 2008 at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit at the age of 96. For the remainder of the 2008 NBA Playoffs
2008 NBA Playoffs
The 2008 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2007–08 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4–2....
, the Pistons uniforms wore a black patch in his memory.
External links
- Bio on Robinson
- Information on Robinson
- Detroit Pistons to Honor Legendary Will Robinson
- http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/sports.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-04-29-0051.html
- http://goredbirds.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/042808aaa.html
- http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=409793&Category=16&subCategoryID=