HOUSTON The former head baseball coach at TSU, Candy Robinson, has passed away after a long battle with cancer, the university said Wednesday.
Robinson was 70 years old.
Coach Robinson has been an integral part of the athletics department for more than two decades, and his contributions will always be remembered, said Texas Southern Athletics Director Charles McClelland. Candy s loss to the TSU athletics family will be one that cannot be replaced.
Houston, TX- The Texas Southern athletics department has lost a colleague, a coach and a father-figure. TSU former baseball head coach Candy Robinson died Tuesday morning after a long battle with cancer. He was 70 years old.
Robinson served as head coach of the TSU baseball team for 19 years. He joined the program in 1989 as the first TSU head coach who only coached baseball. He recorded 332 wins during his career. He led the Tigers to their first two Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship titles and their first two NCAA postseason appearances in 2004 and 2008.
Robinson was a two-time SWAC Coach of the Year, and his teams qualified for 12 conference championship tournament appearances, nine of them consecutive.
I have accomplished a lot at TSU and after 20 years, Robinson said after stepping down as head coach in 2009. I am satisfied with what I ve done for the program and the university. I am most proud of the kids who have come through the program. Nearly all of them graduated and are now making a positive impact in the community. That s real important to me.
During his collegiate career, Robinson was a standout pitcher at Grambling. He was drafted and signed by the Boston Red Sox and played several years in their organization.
Robinson spent the last two years at Texas Southern as Director of Baseball Operations. He is survived by his wife, Sara, and their two daughters, Ariel and Candace.
The funeral will be Saturday, February 19, at Brentwood Baptist Church, located in the 13000 block of Landmark Street. The service will begin at 11:00 a.m., and the viewing will be held at 10 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the American Cancer Society in the name of Candy Robinson, Jr.