AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - The Detroit Pistons announced today that the club will honor legendary scout Will Robinson during a special halftime ceremony on February 27 when the Pistons host the Atlanta Hawks at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
The halftime celebration, hosted by George Blaha, includes speeches from President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars, former general manager Jack McCloskey and former Piston Spencer Haywood. Also in attendance for the special evening will be Detroit Public Schools CEO Dr. Kenneth Burnley.
“Will Robinson is a special person to all of us in the Pistons organization,” Dumars said. “His commitment to our organization over 28 years as a scout and his dedication as a high school and college coach since 1947 demonstrates his passion for the game of basketball. We are excited to honor him for all of his achievements.”
Robinson's 1982 induction into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame marked the seventh such honor bestowed him. The others include: The Michigan High School Coaches Hall of Fame, The West Virginia State Hall of Fame, The Illinois State Hall of Fame, The Upper Ohio Valley Dapper Dan Hall of Fame, The Afro-American Sports Hall of Fame and the Michigan High School Basketball Hall of Fame. He was honored by an eighth hall in the summer of 1995 by the Michigan Jewish Sports Hall of Fame with the Alvin N. Foon Award for his great contributions to Michigan sports.
Named head coach at Illinois State University by Athletic Director Milt Weisenbecker in 1970, Robinson became the first black head coach at the major college level. During the summer of 1992 Robinson was honored by The James Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA, receiving the prestigious John W. Bunn Award. The Bunn Award is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to the game of basketball. Past recipients have included John Wooden, Henry Iba, Red Auerbach and Bob Cousy. Outside of actual enshrinement, the Bunn Award is the most prestigious award given by the Hall of Fame.