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Rarely do coaches make an immediate impact on a program to the level of Memphis head track and field coach Kevin Robinson. In just one season as the head man at Memphis, Robinson brought the school its first-ever conference title as the Tiger men's team won the 2007 Conference USA Outdoor Championship. Robinson has been involved with Memphis track as both an athlete and a coach, and as one the program's greatest past performers, he now stands at the helm of its incredible future.
Throughout his coaching career, Robinson has shown a remarkable ability to recruit and coach some of the nation's best track and field athletes. A 1998 graduate of Memphis, Robinson was a phenomenal performer during his time as a Tiger student-athlete, and over the last four years, he has proven himself equally capable of coaching his alma mater. As an assistant at Memphis, Robinson built the Tiger and Lady Tiger field events into one of the most dominant groups in Conference USA, and now as a head coach, has put himself on the map as one of the sport's burgeoning young coaching stars.
After being hired as head track coach in June of 2006, Robinson immediately put together one of the best coaching staffs in Conference USA and began to change the attitude surrounding Tiger track and field. The speed of Memphis' turnaround could not have been predicted by anyone.
In 2007, Robinson's men's and women's squads combined to break an astonishing 21 school records, senior Gail Lee earned her second All-American honor and the men's team won the conference title. In addition, Memphis' men and women combined to rack up nine C-USA titles, and freshman Steffen Nerdal was named the league's Freshman of the Year. These results stand as a testimony to the groundwork that Robinson starting laying down during his time as an assistant coach.
In 2003, his first year as a coach at Memphis, Robinson helped three Tiger track athletes earn five individual C-USA titles and set five school records. In that same season, he produced three regional qualifiers in four events. Robinson also coached thrower Gaute Myklebust to his first C-USA Male Outdoor Athlete of the Year honor and guided Lisa-Marie Hyman to a C-USA championship in the triple jump.
Robinson's group continued to find success in his second year with the Tigers. After winning a second-straight conference Outdoor Athlete of the Year award and an NCAA Mid-East Regional title, Myklebust placed fourth in the discus at the NCAA Championships. The finish was the highest ever for a Memphis thrower and made Myklebust Memphis' first All-American in more than 20 years.
2005 proved to be Robinson's banner year as an assistant coach. His athletes set six school records, won three C-USA titles and tallied four runner-up finishes, a C-USA Female Freshman of the Year honor and two NCAA Championship appearances.
Lee was responsible for many of those accomplishments, as she broke indoor records in both the shot put and weight throw. Lee was also the C-USA champion in the weight and runner-up in the shot and qualified for NCAA Indoor Championships, where she earned her first All-American honor in the shot put.
In that same season, J.D. Erickson and Janon Busby each added another conference title and runner-up finish, while Chen Edri broke three school records and earned the title of C-USA Female Freshman of the Year. Hyman put up a second-place finish in the outdoor triple jump, in addition to making her first trip to NCAA Championships.
In 2006, Robinson helped Erickson to a second-straight conference indoor title in the shot put and a school record in the indoor weight throw. Lee made a second consecutive NCAA Championships appearance, and Sivan Aballi and Amaechi Oselukwue both earned second-place honors at the C-USA Championships.
In all, Robinson has seen his athletes break 39 school records, pile up 20 C-USA titles and earn over 60 all-conference performances during his time at Memphis.
Along with their success on the track, Robinson's athletes also excelled in the classroom. Myklebust was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District and C-USA Scholar Athlete teams in 2004, while Hyman was a CoSIDA All-American in 2004 and 2005 and was awarded one of only six C-USA postgraduate scholarships. In 2006, Aballi was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team.
Robinson began his coaching career as an assistant at Southern Illinois. During his stint at SIU, he coached a group of eight athletes to 13 individual Missouri Valley Conference championships. Robinson's athletes set three conference records and six school records. He also had nine individuals qualify for the NCAA Regionals and had two All-Americans.
At the 2001 USA Track and Field Championships, Robinson coached Brian Miller to a fifth-place finish in the shot put. That season, Miller ranked fifth nationally and 15th in the world.
As a Tiger, Robinson was arguably the greatest all-around thrower in Memphis history. He won numerous championships and garnered many awards. In his sophomore season, Robinson was named the C-USA Athlete of the Year at the indoor championships after he won the weight throw and finished second in the shot put, qualifying for the NCAA Championships in both events. A four-time C-USA Athlete of the Week award winner, Robinson qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 1997 and 1998 in seven combined events. As a senior, he won C-USA indoor titles in the weight throw and hammer. He still owns a school record in the indoor shot (59-3).
In 1998, Robinson was named the National Strength and Conditioning Association strength and conditioning Athlete of the Year and an NSCA All-American. That season, he finished 13th in the shot put at the NCAA Championships with an effort of 57-4.25. He also qualified for Olympic trials in 2000 in both the shot put and weightlifting.
In 2003, Robinson gained certification in CPR, AED, and as an AFAA professional personal trainer. He has since become a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the NSCA.
A native of Perryville, Mo., Robinson earned his degree in Exercise and Sport Science from Memphis in 1998. Robinson and his wife, Dawn, have three children Sebastian, Tristan and Matthias. They reside in Southaven, Miss.
CONTACT INFO:
Kevin Robinson
Office: 901-678-4295
Email: kmrobnsn@memphis.edu
