XC
Page 10
2012 Memphis Fall Spor ts H e a d C oac h K e v i n R o b i n s o n (ninth) placed in the top-10 and just missed earning a spot on the U.S. squad. In only his first season at the helm (2006-07), Robinson guided the men’s team to the program’s first Conference USA Outdoor Championships crown. The Tigers upset national track and field powerhouse UTEP to win the C-USA title, finishing just a mere 9.5 points ahead of the Miners. For his efforts, Robinson was named the 2007 Conference USA Coach of the Year. At the C-USA Outdoors, Robinson had four Tigers win at least one individual title and saw nine competitors qualify for NCAA Regionals. Three of Robinson’s studentathletes advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, with Nerdal making his first appearance as a freshman. At that year’s NCAA Indoors, Lee earned her second All-America honor with a sixth-place performance in the shot put. Before taking her over Memphis program, Robinson was producing All-Americans as a Tigers assistant. In 2004, Robinson guided Myklebust, a two-time C-USA Male Outdoor Athlete of the Year, to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, where he received All-America honors with a fourth-place finish in the discus. Myklebust was the program’s first All-American in more than 20 years. The following year (200405), Robinson helped Lee to the 2005 NCAA Championships. Lee became the school’s first female All-American in nearly 30 years with a 10th-place finish in the shot put. A 1998 Memphis graduate, Robinson finished his collegiate track and field career as one of the program’s most-decorated competitors, exhibiting prowess in the shot put, weight and hammer throws. As a freshman, he claimed the 1994 Great Midwest Conference (GMC) Indoor
Championships shot put crown. The following season (1995-96), Memphis moved to Conference USA, and Robinson shined in his C-USA Indoor Championships debut. He was named the C-USA Indoor Athlete of the Year after winning the weight throw title and finishing second in the shot put. In his sophomore and senior campaigns, Robinson won CUSA indoor weight and hammer throws titles. Overall, Robinson owns six combined Conference USA weight and hammer throws titles and a Great Midwest Conference shot put title. Robinson also is part of an elite C-USA group of only eight male athletes that have won three or more conference outdoor titles in the same event (hammer throw, 1996-98). Robinson qualified for the 1997 and 1998 NCAA Outdoor Championships in seven combined events. In 1998, he finished 13th in the shot put at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. That same year, Robinson was named the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year and an NSCA All-American. In 2000, Robinson qualified for the Olympic Trials in the shot put and weightlifting. When Robinson graduated in 1998, he held school records in the indoor and outdoor shot put, 35-pound weight throw and hammer throw. The only record he still holds today is the indoor shot put, a testament to both his coaching and athletic skill. A native of Perryville, Mo., Robinson earned his degree in exercise and sport science from Memphis in 1998. After graduation, he began his coaching career as an assistant at Southern Illinois, where he worked from 1998-2002. During his time in Carbondale, Ill., Robinson’s studentathletes set three conference records and posted six school
University of Memphis
marks. Robinson also produced nine NCAA Regional qualifiers, two All-Americans and an Olympic Trials competitor. In 2003, Robinson gained certification in CPR, AED and as an AFAA professional personal trainer. He has since become an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). Robinson and his wife, Dawn, have three children: Sebastian, Tristan and Matthias. They reside in Hernando, Miss.
2012
Tigers Fall Sports Fact Book