NOTE: Reprinted with permission from Jason O. Boyd, Washington Daily News
Harold Robinson had many titles he carried around with him.
Coach. Teacher. Mentor. Friend. Husband. Influencer. Father figure. Even columnist. While his voice may be silenced, another title will stick with him for years to come.
Legend.
Robinson, a resident of Washington who won two state high school football titles while at Williamston, passed away over the weekend at age 76. He had recently suffered a stroke.
According to an obituary from Paul Funeral Home, a memorial service will be held on Friday, October 17, at 11 a.m. at the First Christian Church of Washington with Minister Gillian Pollock officiating. The family will receive friends on Thursday, October 16, at Paul Funeral Home & Crematory of Washington from 6-8 p.m.
Friends, colleagues, former players, students and many others have already been sharing tributes and words of praise for Robinson, from Facebook and other social media outlets. On Monday, during East Carolina University’s football press conference, head coach Blake Harrell paid tribute to Robinson, who served as an assistant coach once he retired from coaching high school football. Robison worked as Director of High School Relations for football coaches John Thompson, Skip Holtz and Ruffin McNeill at ECU for 12 years, from 2004-2016, according to his bio at ECUPirates.com.
‘We lost a really good man, really good coach and a really good Pirate this past weekend,” Harrell said. ‘He had a great influence on high school football in the region. A true Pirate. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family as they go through this season of loss.
“Just can’t say enough good things about what he has meant to Pirate Nation over the years.”
Robinson was a 1972 graduate of ECU and later received advanced degrees. He coached at Williamston — now called Martin County High School — from 1979-2003. He won state titles in 1995 and 1999 at Williamston, finishing with a 231-94 record with the Tigers. His teams finished as state runners-up four times, won seven conference championships and appeared in the state playoffs in 16 seasons. He was also an assistant coach on the Williamston state championship teams in 1974 and 1975.
He was inducted into the NCAthletic Directors Association Hall of Fame in 2007 and the NC High School Athletic Association’s Hall of Fame in 2022.
“I don’t have the words to express how much I admired Harold,” longtime coaching friend Donnie Simpson said. “I had the honor of escorting him into the NCHSAA Hall of Fame. Coached against him many times, and he reminded me of it often that he never lost to me. Harold did so much for athletics in North Carolina. He will be missed by so many.”
Robinson won coach of the year honors from the Washington Daily News in 1982, 1995, 1998, 1999 and 2002. One of Robinson’s many students of the game was current Washington High School football coach Brian Paschal. He had many memories of Robinson, from his influence in the Shrine Bowl game to how his wife would babysit. Paschal said Robinson came over to speak with his football team not long after he was named coach earlier this year. Although he was frail, he still gave an impassioned speech that left everyone impressed.
“Coach Robinson was one of a kind,” Paschal said. “A coach in every sense of the word. Demanding but caring to his players, a great mentor and role model to his assistants. We were all fortunate to have had him in our lives.”
Robinson told WDN reporter Steve Barnes in 2022 that being named to the NCHSAA Hall of Fame was a tremendous honor. It came after his years of work in many other areas, including on the board of directors for the NC Coaches Association and the NC Athletic Directors Association. He was also the North Carolina Shrine Bowl coach in 2002 and an assistant in 1996.
“It is an unbelievable honor to be chosen,” Robinson said. “The most accomplished coaches and athletes in our state are part of this, and I’m amazed and humbled to be joining them. I have been very fortunate to have worked with supportive players, assistant coaches and administrators who were of tremendous help along the way. I wouldn’t be here without them.”
There has been a push by Paschal and other former coaches like Hank Tice to have the football field at the high school named in Robinson’s honor. According to an article by Greenville’s The Daily Reflector in January, the measure has been brought up before but has been voted down by the Martin County School Board.
“Martin County Schools, do the right thing and name that field after Coach Robinson,” Paschal said.