photo: Associated Press

Earlier this week, we learned that the legendary Will Robinson passed at the age of 96. Those from the Detroit area are very familiar with the legacy and story of Mr. Robinson. For those who are not, here is a brief bio of one of the great basketball minds that influenced an untold number of lives during his remarkable career.

Mr. Robinson was the only person in Ohio state history, at the time, to letter in five sports while a student at Steubenville H.S. in the early 1930’s.

In addition to leading the football squad to an unbeaten record as a quarterback, he finished second in the state golf tournament, even though he wasn’t allowed on the course with white players.

Mr. Robinson graduated from West Virginia State in 1937, where he lettered in four sports and went on to get a Master’s Degree from The University of Michigan. After grad school, he stepped into basketball coaching at the black YMCA’s in Pittsburgh and Chicago. He went on to lead Chicago’s legendary DuSable High School program before moving to Motown in 1943.

He was the only black coach in Detroit for almost two decades and won the state chip at Pershing High with big man Spencer Haywood (every underclassman that declares early for the draft has Haywood to thank due to his successful court challenge of NBA rules, which did not allow a player into the league until after their college class graduated. He turned pro after his soph year at U of Detroit where he put up an insane 32 points and 21 rebounds per game). Pershing, under Mr. Robinson’s guidance, was the first public school to take the state crown in almost 40 years!

photo of Mr. Robinson at Detroit’s Pershing High School: Detroit Free Press

Mr. Robinson organized clinics, not only for kids in the hood, but also for black coaches in hoops, football and baseball. The pro teams, realizing Robinson’s talents, hired him in scouting capacities. He was the NFL’s first black scout and unearthed future Hall of Famers Lem Barney and Charlie Sanders for the Detroit Lions.

In 1970, he became the first African-American D-I head basketball coach when he took the job at Illinois State and later developed Doug Collins, who blossomed into a #1 pick in the 1973 NBA draft. Collins later groomed a young Michael Jordan during his early years with the Chicago Bulls.

In ‘76, Will Robinson began scouting for the Detroit Pistons. He urged the franchise to pick Joe Dumars and Dennis Rodman, players from lightly regarded McNeese State and Southeastern Oklahoma State, respectively. Although offered the Pistons head coaching gig, he turned it down. Chuck Daly eventually got the job, riding Robinson’s scouting prowess into the Bad Boy championship era.

Mr. Robinson was a true legend, a man who gave his time, energy and talents to make things better for the young people that were fortunate to cross his path in life. My Detroit crew is saddened with his passing, as the rest of the basketball world should be.

On behalf of Bounce, the playground and the global community, I’d like to thank Mr. Robinson for his instrumental role in helping to build the Motor City’s hoops infrastructure and the bountiful blessings he bestowed upon us through his unselfish mentoring and love of basketball.

Peep the following links from the New York Times and the Detroit Free Press for more about the life and legacy of Will Robinson.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/sports/30robinson.html?ref=sports

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080429/SPORTS03/80429012/1051/SPORTS03