Jan. 24, 2009
Will Robinson Tribute Photo Gallery 
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Robinson-Collins Statue Presentation
Doug Collins Reacts to Statue Presentation
NORMAL, Ill. - During a halftime tribute ceremony for former Illinois State men's basketball coach and the nation's first NCAA Division I African-American men's basketball coach, Will Robinson, at Saturday's Illinois State-Southern Illinois basketball game, the Redbird Athletics Department unveiled plans to erect a statue of the legendary coach and his most famous Redbird player, three-time All-American Doug Collins. The statue is made possible by the generous contribution of the Don Franke family.
The statue will replicate the historic photo showcasing the two Redbird basketball greats, where Robinson is on one knee leaning on a basketball and Collins is posed alongside his coach. The work of art, which is being sculpted by Lou Cella, a 1985 alumnus of Illinois State, is being created at the Rotblatt-Amrany Fine Art Studio in Highwood, Ill. The final piece will be officially unveiled sometime during the summer 2009 and will be located in front of the north entrance of Redbird Arena.
"Quite frankly, if you talk to people throughout the country about ISU Athletics and Illinois State University, Will Robinson helped put us on the map," said ISU Director of Athletics Dr. Sheahon Zenger. "When you to go to America's greatest universities and athletics departments, their legends are immortalized in statues, and this is the beginning of us doing that.
"We have a rich history here at Illinois State, and I can't think of anything grander that we could do for Will Robinson than to place him forever in front of Redbird Arena alongside his greatest player."
Collins, who found out about the project for the first time Friday, and personally witnessed the progress of the piece, was humbled by what he saw.
"All these memories came flashing back. You start reliving your life," said Collins. "When I went to Illinois State, I had no idea where I was headed. When I met Coach Robinson, from that moment forward, he was the voice I heard. I just knew he would always tell me the truth."
Robinson was named ISU's head men's basketball coach Feb. 27, 1970, at the age of 58, and as a result, became the first black head basketball coach in NCAA Division I history. He was hired by former ISU Director of Athletics Milt Weisbecker as Illinois State was making the move from the College Division to Division I in NCAA status.
Robinson coached the Redbirds for five seasons and finished with a record of 78-51, before taking a scouting position with the NBA's Detroit Pistons. Robinson remained in that position with the Pistons for 28 years, while also serving as a part-time scout for the Detroit Lions for 22 years. With the Pistons, Robinson discovered Joe Dumars and Dennis Rodman and was instrumental in piecing together the talent that produced Detroit's 1989 and 1990 NBA Championships.
Robinson passed away April 28, 2008, at the age of 96.
