Mike Robinson (2019) - Hall of Fame - Michigan State University Athletics

Mike Robinson

Induction:
2019
Class:
1974

Mike Robinson
Basketball (1971-74)
Detroit, Michigan
MSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2019

HIGHLIGHTS:
• 1974 All-American
• Holds MSU scoring average record at 24.2 points per game
• Scored 1,717 points in 71 career games
• Led Big Ten in scoring in 1972 (27.2 ppg) and 1973 (26.7 ppg)
• Three-time First-Team All-Big Ten honoree (1972, 1973, 1974)

HALL OF FAME FEATURE: CLASS OF 2019

Mike Robinson left Michigan State as one of the most prolific scorers in program history.

Robinson, who arrived at MSU two years before freshmen were allowed to play, carried the greatest scoring average in program history at 24.2 points per game in three seasons.

"My first reaction was shock, I was just shocked," Robinson said upon learning about his selection to the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame. "I had to sit a while and absorb the thought. It means quite a bit to me. One of the things I thought about was Coach (Gus) Ganakas and the faith he had in me as far as my playing basketball."

Robinson, who grew up in the Brewster projects in Detroit and went to a smaller high school, Detroit Northeastern, came to Michigan State and faced some culture shock in being at a large, state school, but settled in East Lansing playing under Ganakas.

"He was very important to me," Robinson said of Ganakas. "He was a very compassionate person. He was a player's coach and was one you'd say, 'Let's win one for the Gipper.' You could see he cared and he had some intangibles that you can't explain. Caring went a long way with me."

To this day, Robinson still ranks 10th all-time in scoring at MSU with 1,717 points in 71 games between 1971-74. Robinson reached the 1,000-point mark for his career in his 41st game, the fastest of any player in program history. He scored 35 points or more four times and posted a career high of 40 against Northwestern in 1973.

But there were a trio of games he remembered distinctly, all coming in his first varsity season, 1971-72.

"There was a game against Indiana in Bobby Knight's first year," Robinson recalled. "We didn't have a lot of TV games at that time and I just remember thinking, 'Wow, you're really going to have to lace up your shoes and be ready.' That was one of the turning points of my career (Robinson scored 34 points in an 83-73 MSU win).

"My first varsity game against Missouri. It was a tough game. It was my first test. The defense was very tough and it was not easy to get around players and I scored 25 points.

"Another game that was pretty big was one at Kentucky early that year. I hadn't been that far South in my life and I had never seen so many cowboy hats in my life. It was pretty intimidating, back in the days when Adolph Rupp was still coaching. I scored about 32 points, 12 in the first half and 20 in the second, and we won that game down there (91-85)."

His career scoring average of 24.2 points per game is the all-time best, three points ahead of the program's all-time leading scorer, Shawn Respert, who averaged 21.2 points per game. Robinson is the only three-year player in the history of the program to rank among the top-20 scorers.

In 1971-72 as a sophomore, Robinson averaged 24.7 points per game, which still ranks as the eighth-best single season average in program history. One year later, in 1972-73, Robinson averaged 25.3 points per game, the sixth-best single-season at MSU and the record for a junior. As a senior in 1973-74, the 6-foot guard averaged 22.4 points per game.

"It's hard to imagine that I'm still up there," Robinson said. "There are so many great players who have come to Michigan State and now you have the three-point shot and it still baffles me that I'm up there on that list. I take a lot of pride in that. Consistency was very important to me."

He is one of three MSU players (along with teammate Terry Furlow and Jay Vincent) to lead the Big Ten in scoring twice and is one of just three Spartans (Johnny Green and Mateen Cleaves) to be named First Team All-Big Ten three times.

"That is huge," Robinson said when he heard his named mentioned with Green. "I remember watching Johnny Green when he was in the NBA. And then I came here to Michigan State and people said I was too small to play Big Ten ball. I prided myself on being in good shape and to hear my name with Johnny Green, well, I guess I did something."

Robinson was selected in the seventh round of the 1974 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He earned his bachelor's degree in recreation administration, a master's degree in intramural administration from MSU and a second master's in information systems from Walsh College.

Robinson retired in 2015 after a professional career that included working for Meijer in its distribution center, General Dynamics as a senior analyst of materials, for Coca-Cola as a warehouse supervisor, for Solomon Software as a programmer and for Consumers Energy as a software business analyst. He enjoys watching his son Mike, a rising senior at Huron High School, play basketball and continues to follow the Spartans.

"I still follow the team very closely and Tom (Izzo) has a reunion every year that I make sure to be there for," Robinson said. "We're a very close group and it's filled with a lot of class. No one is obsolete and no matter how long you've been away, you're still relevant."