Will Robinson, Former College Basketball Coach, Scout
Will Robinson, the first African-American head coach in Division I basketball history, passed away on April 28, 2008 at the age of 96. Robinson was the former college basketball coach for Illinois State University.
Robinson graduated from the West Virginia State University in 1937. After school he spent his young adult life coaching at several Chicago and Detroit high schools where he had the privilege to coach some of the sport’s greatest future athletes – Doug Collins, Mel Daniels, Spencer Haywood, and Big Daddy Lipscomb. He made his historic rise to head coach of ISU in 1970 and coached there until 1975. He moved on to be a scout for the Detroit Lions and Detroit Pistons and retired from that work in 2003.
“He taught me to be a man, not just a basketball player,” said Spencer Haywood. “That was his greatest gift.”
You can read a great article, “How Will Robinson revolutionized the game of basketball†written by a friend and colleague of Will Robinson at freep.com.
Tags: Valley of Life, Will Robinson