By Joe Yamulla || Sports Editor
History has been made on the Mayser court this season. It’s official. F&M’s men’s basketball coach, Glenn Robinson, has reached the 900-win milestone. With this feat, Robinson has become the coach with the most wins in NCAA Division III history. Robinson now sits alongside fellow coaching legends Mike Kryzewski of Duke University, Herb Magee of Philadelphia University, and Bob Knight of Indiana University as the only coaches in the NCAA to achieve 900 wins.
F&M may be a small school, but the scale of this accomplishment is as grand as it gets in sports. It is very rare that you see a coach begin his or her job somewhere, find great success, and stay committed to that program for an entire career. For many, coaching is seen as a job that requires stepping stones. For example, Mike Kryzewski, or ‘Coach K’, is often regarded as the greatest coach in the history of basketball, NBA or NCAA. However, he began as an assistant coach at Indiana University under Bob Knight, and then stepped up to being head coach at the United States Military Academy. Finally, he landed himself the job at Duke, where he’s been coaching since 1980. However, Robinson never left F&M. He remained committed, passionate, and enthusiastic about his job and life here in Lancaster. This devotion he had to the program and school clearly paid off as he’s built a legacy.
This milestone has brought Robinson national attention. An article talking about it was headlined on the front page of ESPN.com. Kryzewski even acknowledged Robinson and all he has done for the Diplomat basketball program.
“Surpassing 900 victories is an incredible accomplishment for any coach and beyond the tangible wins, I congratulate Coach Robinson for sustaining excellence for more than four decades at Franklin and Marshall,” Kryzewski wrote. “He has served as a tremendous role model for our profession as his players consistently achieve not only on the basketball court, but in the classroom and community as well. He certainly means a lot to basketball in the state of Pennsylvania and beyond.”
These are extremely high words of praise coming from one of the most respected basketball minds in the world. But not only has this season been special for Robinson, it has also been special for the team. In addition to being a part of a historical moment, the team is playing some great basketball. After 16 games so far, the Diplomats stand strong at 13-3, with an 8-1 record in the Centennial Conference.
Their most recent win came at Washington College on Jan. 16 with a final score of 82-72. In their most recent game Jan. 20, they fell to Gettysburg College 73-57. However, the boys are right back at it this week. On Monday, McDaniel College comes to F&M to take on Robinson and his team. Wednesday the men’s basketball team is at Dickinson College, and Haverford College is coming to F&M on Saturday.
Robinson has a great shot at leading his team deep into the Centennial Conference playoffs this season. He has the talent necessary to continue to win and chase the elusive goal of not just 1,000 wins, but also a National Championship.
Sophomore Joe Yamulla is the Sports editor. His email is jyamulla@fandm.edu.