A tradition of consistency and excellence, that is how one might describe Rick Robinson’s tenure as head baseball coach at Young Harris College.

Robinson has led his Mountain Lions to eight conference championships, five Region XVII championships, and one NJCAA World Series appearance over the past 13 seasons. He has also won 613 games in 14 years as a college head coach, with 580 of those wins coming for the Mountain Lions. Forty of the Robinson’s players at Young Harris have signed professional contracts, with five making it to the major leagues.

During this period, Robinson has fostered an environment of excellence that extends beyond the field. His players are consistently high achieving in the classroom and active in the community. It is this combination of performance on and off the field that has made his players so well respected on the Young Harris College as well as in the college baseball arena.

Robinson came to YHC from NCAA Division I baseball rich Old Dominion University. In the four years as an assistant coach, ODU won two conference championships and appeared in two regionals. In 1995 at Florida State University in Tallahassee Fla., FSU had to beat ODU twice to keep the Monarchs from reaching the College World Series for the first time in the school’s history. In 1996 Old Dominion finished the regular season ranked 19th in the Baseball America’s Division I poll and 11th in the Division I RPI poll before losing to Clemson University in the Southeast Regional.

While at ODU, Robinson served as the third base coach, camp director and recruiting coordinator. In four recruiting classes, he had 22 players who signed professional contracts with Tim Hummel making it to the major leagues. Through the camps he worked with major league players David Wright, Mike Cuddyar, BJ and Justin Upton when they were young players.

Prior to Old Dominion, Robinson started the baseball program at Brevard College in Brevard N.C., and he had eight players off that first team sign major league contracts. After graduating from Appalachian State University in Boone N.C., he returned home to coach for five years at West Henderson and Pisgah high schools in Western North Carolina.

His leadership, through the years, has helped steer the direction of all these programs in a way that has enabled his players and coaches to enjoy success and overcome adversity with integrity and humility. While winning is important to Robinson, it has never been more important than the development of values that will allow his players to one day be outstanding husbands, fathers and leaders in the community they chose to call home.

Robinson and his wife of 19 years, Luann, have three children - Faithe (14), Rhett (11) and Ryan (9). The Robinson’s reside in Young Harris, Ga., and are members at McConnell Baptist Church in Hiawassee, Ga.