ESPN 104.9 Coaches Show naming award in honor of Anthony Robinson
The ESPN 104.9 Coaches Show is changing the name of its Player of the Year award to honor the late Anthony Robinson Jr.
A Linden High School standout in football and basketball and a defensive back signee with the University of West Alabama, Robinson was a multi-time Player of the Week award winner and the first ESPN 104.9 Coaches Show Player of the Year.
Robinson, just 19 years old, lost his life in a car accident along with his 12-year-old cousin, C.J. Boykin, Sept. 1, 2013.
“It is something that we’ve given a lot of thought to,” ESPN 104.9 Coaches Show host Rob Pearson said. “Anthony Robinson truly embodied what it means to be a high school football player. He was a high character young man who constantly showed his leadership on and off the field.”
“We feel like Anthony Robinson left a left a legacy not just at Linden, but in west Alabama as a whole, “ Coaches Show co-host Jeremy Smith said. “He had so many personal relationships with players at other schools in the county and made a profound impact even on coaches of other schools. He was the type of player and person that elevates not only a program, but everyone around him.”
Robinson was a four-year starter at quarterback and defensive back for Linden and earned a place on the Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State Team three times. He was a Class of 2013 signee with UWA.
“This is just a small way for us to honor the legacy and life of Anthony Robinson and to carry that legacy forward in the years to come,” Pearson said.
The Anthony Robinson Award, presented to the most outstanding football player in West Alabama, will honor the top player in the ESPN 104.9 Coaches Show coverage area each year and will be commemorated with a plaque to be displayed at Batter Up Sports Grill in Demopolis, the site from which the show weekly emanates each fall.
The winner of the award will be announced Tuesday, Dec. 2 during the show’s Super 11 special, which will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The winner that night will be the third recipient of an ESPN 104.9 player of the year honor. The 2013 award went to Sweet Water running back and Jacksonville State University signee Jakoby Aldridge.