Glenn Robinson is the most victorious coach in NCAA Division III history, and retired from coaching before the start of the 2019-20 season with 967 victories, which ranks third all-time among all NCAA divisions of college basketball.
Already the most victorious coach in NCAA Division III history, in 2015-16, Robinson joined Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, Philadelphia University's Herb Magee and former Indiana University general Bob Knight as the only coaches to win 900 or more NCAA games with a 57-54 victory over Swarthmore on Jan. 9. A week later, he passed Knight for the third spot on the NCAA Coaches Victory List and finished the season with 912 victories.
In 2008-09 he became only the second Division III coach to reach 1,000 games coached. During his time with the Diplomats, Robinson has led F&M to 20-win seasons on 28 occasions.
Robinson has brought the Diplomats to the NCAA's Division III dance 25 times, most recently leading his squad to the 2017-18 Tournament. F&M has advanced to the round of 16 on 17 occasions and the round of eight in 10 postseasons.
On Oct. 19, 2013, Robinson was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (PSHF). The 51st class consisted of 12 members whose athletic achievements have brought lasting fame and recognition to the State of Pennsylvania. This marked the fifth Hall of Fame to honor Robinson.
The 2009 National Semifinals marked the team's fifth appearance in the final weekend on Robinson's watch. His guidance of the young edition of Diplomats landed him D3Hoops.com Coach of the Year honors.
Robinson guided the Diplomats to the Division III Final Four in 1979, 1991, 1996, 2000 and 2009 and was named the Basketball Times Division III "Coach of the Year" in 1991. He has earned conference and NABC "Coach of the Year" honors 12 times, including the 2004 award for guiding the Diplomats to a 26-4 record, the Centennial Conference Title and an NCAA Elite Eight berth.
A 1967 graduate of West Chester University, Robinson became the all-time wins leader in Division III history by recording his 667th victory on February 14, 2004 with a Mayser Center win over Muhlenberg. He is one of only 13 coaches in NCAA history to amass 800 wins.
Robinson grew up in Yeadon, Pennsylvania, and played high school basketball at nearby Lansdowne-Aldan High before attending West Chester. At WCU, he was a standout collegiate baseball and basketball player before graduating in 1967 and earning a masters degree a year later. He was inducted into the University's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004.
During his tenure, all but two players to earn a varsity letter in basketball have earned a degree, a statistic which few, if any, other college in the nation can boast.
"I think that the thing that impresses me most when I look at F&M is the kind of program that Glenn Robinson has built and maintained," said Hope College coach Glenn Van Wieren prior to facing the Diplomats in the 1996 Final Four. "He's truly one of college basketball's best coaches at any level."
He joined the F&M basketball coaching staff as an assistant coach in 1968 under Hall of Fame coach and athletic trainer Chuck Taylor. In the fall of 1971, he took over the Diplomats' varsity program when Taylor resigned to focus on his athletic training responsibilities.
But Robinson's road to NCAA history did not look realistic in the beginning.
Following a year which saw F&M finish 4-16, its seventh consecutive losing season, Robinson took over and led the 1971-72 Diplomats to a 7-14 improvement with a season concluding 68-51 victory over Drexel University. In 1973, the Diplomats improved to 11-13, the eighth straight losing season in program history as the Diplomats last finished .500 or better in 1962-63 when the squad notched a 10-9 record.
Finally, in 1974, Robinson and the Diplomats broke through for a 13-11 mark, the team's best record since a 13-6 performance in 1959.
In 1976, Robinson reset the school win record with a 17-8 record. However, the record did not stand for long as he broke it again in 1977 with 22, 1979 with 27, 1991 with 28 and 1996 with 29 victories.
Part of his success has been the personnel with which he has had to work as Will Lasky (1991 honorable mention, 1992 first team), Donnie Marsh (1977 & 1979 second team), Jeremiah Henry (1996 first team), Dave Jannetta (1994 honorable mention, 1995 third team), Brad Markey (1989 second team), Dennis Westley (1981 second team), Terry Scott (1988 third team), Phil Hoeker (1989 honorable mention), Chris Finch (1991 & 1992 honorable mention), Charlie Detz (1994 & 1995 honorable mention), Mike Mehaffey (1996 honorable mention), Alex Kraft (2000 first team, 2001 honorable mention), Steve Juskin (2004 honorable mention), Duran Searles (2004 honorable mention), James McNally (2009 third team), Georgio Milligan (2011, 2012 first team), Hayk Gyokchyan (2013 third team) and Brandon Federici (2018 second team) all earned All-America honors under Robinson.
"If you look at F&M over the years, you'll see that there's rarely a player with an average of more than 17 points per game," noted former player Jeremiah Henry. "The best way to play basketball is for all five people on the floor to function completely as a unit. We really stress teamwork and the ability to play together and that comes through Coach Robinson's system."
Career Highlights
- 12-time NABC and Conference Coach of the Year
- 1991 Basketball Times Division III Coach of the Year
- 2009 D3Hoops.com Coach of the Year
- 97 Postseason victories
- 44 NCAA Tournament victories
- 28 seasons with 20 or more wins
- 25 NCAA DIII Tournament Appearances
- 19 Conference Championships
- 17 trips to the Sweet 16
- 10 trips to the Elite Eight
- 5 trips to the Final Four
- One NCAA title game appearance
- 26 All-America honors
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Updated 2/1/20 | MB
