Since taking over in July 2006, Kevin Robinson has transformed the Memphis track and field program into a national power and perennial Conference USA contender. In all, Robinson has seen his athletes set more than 30 school records, earn 43 C-USA individual titles and pile up more than 240 all-conference performances during his first five years. Robinson began his U of M coaching career in 2003 as an assistant with the program, specializing in field events. Since returning to his alma mater, he has guided nine athletes to the NCAA Championships in 21 events and seen his competitors earn 13 All-America citations, including Memphis greats Gaute Myklebust and Gail Lee.
Upon assuming head coaching duties in July 2006, Robinson immediately elevated the program to greater heights, leading Memphis to its first men's conference title with a victory over UTEP at the C-USA Outdoor Championships. In addition to earning C-USA Coach of the Year honors, Robinson saw four Tigers (Willie Green, Steffen Nerdal, Amaechi Oselwuke and Brandon Winbush) win at least one outdoor title and nine competitors qualify for NCAA Regionals. That season, Robinson sent three athletes to the NCAA Championships, with Nerdal advancing to the outdoor competition in just his freshman year and Lee earning her second indoor All-American honor with a sixth-place finish in the shot put. More success followed, especially in throwing events, in 2008. Under Robinson's tutelage, Nerdal returned to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the hammer throw, earning his first All-America accolade with a sixth-place, 68.21-meter (223-09) toss. Susan King qualified for the shot put in both the NCAA indoor and outdoor competitions and earned two All-America citations. King's 16.91-meter (55-05.75) toss at the NCAA Indoor Championships earned her a fourth-place honor. Her performance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships was even better, as King was the runner-up in the shot put with a 17.68-meter (58-00.25) toss. Her second-place showing in the shot put remains the highest finish in school history by a Lady Tiger at the NCAA Championships. King was also named the C-USA Outdoor Track and Field Female Athlete of the Year in 2008, the final year that only one award was presented before the conference started awarding one honor for track athletes and another for field competitors. King's fellow shot putter, Sivan Aballi, and pentathlete Charlotte Abrahamsen also represented the Blue and Gray at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships. Abrahamsen remains the only multi-sport competitor in school history to compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships, where she earned All-America distinction. Following the 2008 outdoor season, King and Lee represented Memphis in the shot put at the United States Olympic Trials. King finished sixth, just missing a top-three mark needed to qualify for the U.S. Olympic squad. Lee also represented the U of M well, finishing ninth. In 2009, Nerdal qualified in the weight throw for the NCAA Indoor Championships and was the first Memphis male athlete in 25 years to advance to the NCAA Indoor Championships. He finished second in the weight throw, becoming the first male indoor All-American in school history. Nerdal capped off his sterling career in 2010 when he cemented his legacy with his fourth All-American performance and bolstered Robinson's reputation as one of the best coaches in the country at developing throwers. In addition to Nerdal's C-USA titles in the discus and hammer throw, Seth Major claimed his fourth C-USA medal, and Knut Syversen was a provisional qualifier and medalist during the indoor season. In all, 27 medals were awarded to 16 athletes at the 2010 C-USA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, led by Richard Lowe with four medals and Nerdal and Alex Sweet each with three. Robert Jackson, Major, Syversen and Stephan Ender each received two medals. Nerdal's consecutive runner-up performances in the weight throw at the NCAA Championships was the first time a Tiger had that high of a finish in back-to-back championships appearances. In the 2011 campaign, Lowe, under Robinson's direction, was named C-USA Male Track Athlete of the Year. Lowe finished his collegiate career at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, where he finished seventh in the 400m hurdles in a time of 50.99s and became Robinson's 31st athlete to merit All-America status. A former Memphis student-athlete, Robinson is one of the most decorated track and field athletes in the program's history, exhibiting prowess in the shot put, weight and hammer throws. As a freshman, he won the shot put at the Great Midwest Conference (GMC) Indoor Championships in 1994, the final year Memphis competed in that league. A four-time C-USA Athlete of the Week award recipient, Robinson also qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 1997 and 1998 in seven combined events. In 1998, Robinson was named the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year and an NSCA All-American. That same season, he finished 13th in the shot put (57-4.25) at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Robinson also qualified for the 2000 Olympic Trials in the shot put and weightlifting. In total, Robinson owns six combined Conference USA titles in the weight and hammer throws and an additional Great Midwest Conference title in the shot put. When Robinson graduated in 1998, he held school records in the indoor and outdoor shot out, 35-pound weight throw and hammer throw. The only record he still holds today is the indoor shot put (18.06m/59-3), 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, and after graduation, became an assistant coach at Southern Illinois, where he worked from 1998-2002. During his time in Carbondale, Ill., Robinson's athletes set three conference records and six school marks, and Robinson also helped produce 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. |
Memphis Tigers
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A two-time Conference USA Male Outdoor Athlete of the Year and the school record-holder in the shot put and discus throw, Myklebust became Memphis' first All-American in more than 20 years with a fourth-place finish in the discus at the 2004 NCAA Championships. Lee represented the Lady Tigers at the NCAA Championships four times and became the school's first female track and field All-American in almost 30 years, finishing 10th with a 16.62-meter (51-00.00) discus toss in 2005.
