The "Lancaster Basketball's Coaching Legend Retirees" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Lancaster's sports legend, Glenn Robinson has called it quits.  Glenn had been the coach of Franklin & Marshall College men's basketball team forever, or at least it seems that way.  

Glenn Robinson coaching F&M.

Glenn came to F&M in 1968 as an assistant coach and became the head coach three years later. He was a graduate of West Chester University where he played both basketball and baseball before being inducted into the school's Athletic Hall Of Fame in 2004.  In his first year as head coach his team ended the season at 7-14, but continued to improve until they ended the 1996 season with 29 victories!  During his coaching career he was lucky enough to coach 15 All-Americans.  I can remember heading to Mayser Gymnasium many evenings to watch some of the great teams that Glenn coached during his tenure.  Glenn has coached the Diplomats to the NCAA Division III Tournament 23 times where his teams have advanced to the Sweet 16 on 16 occasions and to the Elite Eight 10 times.  He coached his Diplomats to five Final Fours, in 1979, 1991, 1996, 2000 and 2009.  His 1991 team finished as National Runner-Up after falling to Wisconsin-Platteville in the Division III National Championship.  

Cutting the net after a big win!

Glenn was named the "Basketball Times" Division III "Coach of the Year" in 1991 and also named National Association of Basketball Coaches "Coach of the Year" 12 times, most recently in 2004, after guiding the Diplomats to a 26-4 record, Centennial  Conference title, and Elite Eight appearance.  Then on February 14, 2004, he became the winningest Division III coach in history when his team beat Muhlenberg College.  He is one of only four coaches in NCAA history to amass 900 wins, putting him on the list of coaches with the likes of Mike Krzyzewski, Herb Magee and Bobby Knight.  I assume you have heard of some of these guys!  If not, "Google" them.  Then, on February 10, 2011 he won his 800th career game against Gettysburg College.  What is more astounding is the fact that all but three of his players who earned a letter also earned their college degree.  That is almost unheard of in college sports.  When he announced his retirement on Monday, November 4, he had accumulated 967 wins, all as the coach of the Franklin & Marshall Diplomats from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  His name will go down in Lancaster County collegiate history as one of the most successful coaches ever.  Gonna be a long time before, if ever, anyone will come close to winning that many games.  Congratulations from this blog site and a big "Thank You" for all the good times I had watching games at Mayser Gym.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.