The ride to 800: Glenn Robinson closes in on history, again

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Updated: 3/11 1:44 pm

The handshakes after a game never appear to be any different. Perhaps its because Franklin & Marshall head coach Glenn Robinson has never been about so-called "magic numbers."

He's seen 600 wins.

And 700 victories, too.

With 799 victories currently on his resume, he can reach 800 wins for his career on Wednesday against Gettysburg College.

"I don't think about it," said Robinson of becoming just the 13th coach in NCAA basketball history to win 800 games. "I haven't aimed (for) it.

"It's not a goal or anything like that."

He never expected to stay at F&M in Lancaster County for 40 years, either. The sport has changed a lot during that time, but rebounding and playing aggressive defense -- two staples of a Robinson-coached team -- haven't gone out of style.

When Robinson won his 700th game on November 27, 2005, the post-game celebration, which included a sheet cake, was a reflection of the man himself: simple; classy; and cozy, just like your favorite couch at home.

"I think Lancaster is a perfect fit for Glenn," said Dave Troxell, a former F&M player. "And I think Glenn is a perfect fit for Lancaster."

Troxell should know.

He was among the first players Robinson recruited at F&M and played for the Diplomats for three years, from 1972 to 1975. Troxell, now the Director of Technology for the Annville-Cleona School District, is amazed at how Robinson's recent squads still run many of the systems he did -- they just seem to run them better.

"I marvel at their athleticism; and he's been able to do more with teams in the last 15 years than he did with our teams in the '70s and '80s," he said.

Robinson has brought the Diplomats to the NCAA Division III tournament 21 times, most recently leading his squad to the 2010 Elite Eight. F&M has advanced to the round of 16 on fifteen occasions and the round of eight during nine postseasons. He guided the Diplomats to the Division III Final Four in 1979, 1991, 1996, 2000 and 2009 and was named the Basketball Times Division III "Coach of the Year" in 1991. Robinson, a graduate of West Chester University, has earned conference and NABC "Coach of the Year" honors 12 times, including the 2004 award for guiding the Diplomats to a 26-4 record, the Centennial Conference title and an NCAA Elite Eight berth.

Entering Tuesday, he is fifth among active college basketball coaches in wins, behind Philadelphia's Herb Magee (918); Mike Krzyzewski of Duke (889); Jim Boeheim from Syracuse (849); and Connecticut's Jim Calhoun (841).

Every single student-athlete he's coached has graduated, as well, except for one, by the way.

The only thing Robinson hasn't done is win a national championship. He told CBS 21 News that if he can't capture one, he'd be OK with that. "I think its just miraculous to get to the Final 4," he said.

Robinson, 66, has primarily been about getting the best out of each and every player he coaches.

Remember, he's not into numbers -- whether it's career wins or how old he'll be when he retires. "As long as I'm passionate about it and I think I'm doing a decent job, then I want to keep doing it," he said.


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