Calvin Robinson - Track and Field Coach

Calvin Robinson

Title:
Associate Head Coach - Sprints and Hurdles
Email:
coach.robinson@ttu.edu
Phone:
(806) 834-1054

At Texas Tech...

2 National Team Championships - Men 2019 Outdoor, 2024 Indoor
1 Olympic Silver Medalist
7 NCAA Champions
3 Olympic Finalists
110 All-Americans
71 Individual Big 12 Champions
2019 USTFCCCA National Men's Assistant Coach of the Year - Outdoor
Seven-Time USTFCCCA Mountain Region Men's Assistant Coach of the Year (2016 Indoor, 2018 Indoor, 2018 Outdoor, 2019 Indoor, 2019 Outdoor, 2020 Indoor, 2022 Indoor)
2008 Indoor USTFCCCA Mountain Region Women's Assistant Coach of the Year

Calvin Robinson is entering his 10th season in 2024-25 and has turned the Red Raider sprints team into a national powerhouse. Known throughout the coaching community as a “jack of all trades,” Robinson has worked with both world-class sprinters and jumpers during his 23-year career. Before he start of the 2023-24 season, head coach Wes Kittley promoted Robinson as the Associate Head Coach.

With no surprise, the sprints and hurdles program continued to rise during the 2024 season, highlighted by the men's 2024 NCAA Indoor team title. Out of the 50.5 total points the Red Raiders scored, all but 3.5 points came from the sprints/hurdles side. Terrence Jones claimed the 60m and 200m, while Caleb Dean secured the 60m hurdles title. In the 60m sprint alone, 19 points came from Tech, thanks to first, third and sixth place finishes. Prior to the NCAA meet, the Red Raiders claimed their second-straight Big 12 indoor title, with 75 out of 154 points coming from the sprints. Under his tutelage, Dean continued his success outdoors, winning the 400m hurdles in record-fashion as he would become a Bowerman finalist. Meanwhile, on the women's side, Rosemary Chukwuma capped off her decorated three-year career placing third in the 100m.

During the 2023 season, Robinson's sprint crew helped power the men's side to back-to-back Big 12 titles (indoor/outdoor). The 2023 conference outdoor team scored a school and meet record 179 points, 100 points coming from the sprints and hurdles group. By season's end, the Tech men finished sixth overall with his group accounting for 29 of the 34.5 points. Courtney Lindsey won the 100m title and finished 2nd in the 200m, as Terrence Jones placed third in the 200m. At the indoor meet, Jones claimed the 60m national title. At that same meet, Caleb Dean would finish as the national runner-up in the 60m hurdles. The women's team ended the 2023 season inside the top-25 both indoors and outdoors, highlighted by nine All-Americans and three Big 12 champions.

The 2022 season saw Robinson's crew come away with six 1st Team All-Americans as both the men and women Red Raider programs placed inside the top 10 by the end of the outdoor season - one of four teams in the country to accomplish such feat. Out of the 11 Big 12 Indoor champions from Tech's side, four came were produced by Robinson as Jacolby Shelton swept the 60m and 200m titles. He went on to be named the Men's High Point Award winner. Rosemary Chukwuma was crowned the 60m champion on the women's side establishing a new meet record as Vashaun Vascianna captured the men's 60m hurdles and the Most Outstanding Freshman.

During the outdoor portion of the 2022 season, Demisha Roswell claimed the women's 100 hurdles, while Maliek Kendall claimed the men's 110 hurdles title. At the NCAA Championships, Malik Metivier, who finished 5th in 2021 in the 400 hurdles, turned in a runner-up finish in the event. Six school records went down on the women's side by the end of the year - 100m, 200m, 4x100 (outdoor), 60m (men and women), and 60m hurdles (women).

Before the remainder of the 2020 season would be canceled because of COVID 19, Robinson helped produced a Big 12 champion on the women’s side in Gabrielle McDonald, who captured the 60m hurdles title. Fast forward one year Jacolby Shelton took home the 60m hurdles Big 12 indoor title as Courtney Lindsey captured first in the 100m at the Big 12 outdoor meet.

Meanwhile three indoor USTFCCCA All-Americans came out of Robinson’s side in 2020 and it was followed in 2021 with 12 outdoor USTFCCCA All-Americans.

Texas Tech's 2019, which was capped off with the school's first-ever men's national title, was highlighted by the star power of a nationally-acclaimed sprints squad. Led by The Bowerman finalist and fan vote winner Divine Oduduru, Robinson's group assaulted the record books during both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Oduduru set and re-set the school records in the 100m and 200m several times, including going sub-10 and sub-20 on the same day on three separate occasions. Oduduru completed the outdoor double with marks of 9.84 and 19.73. This was after winning his first national title in the indoor 200m in March. Andrew Hudson picked up points in the 200m as well, then joined Oduduru as well as Keion Sutton and JaColby Shelton to set another school record in the 4x100 relay. Hurdler Norman Grimes Jr., also under the instruction of Robinson, was a national runner-up in addition to winning his second-consecutive Big 12 title in the 400m hurdles.

For the standout outdoor season, Robinson was awarded the USTFCCCA National Men's Assistant Coach of the Year, marking the first Tech assistant ever to receive the honor.

Robinson's crew racked up a combined six Big 12 titles in 2018 as the Red Raiders swept the indoor and outdoor Big 12 Championships. His team was led by Divine Oduduru, who won two outdoor titles (100m, 200m) and an indoor title (200m). Oduduru's momentum from his conference wins to eventually become the first Red Raider sprinter to win an NCAA Championship. Robinson watched as Oduduru recorded a 20.28 to propel Tech to a fifth-place finish at the national outdoor meet. Andrew Hudson helped contribute to Robinson's successful fourth year, winning the 60m indoor Big 12 title en route to picking up three All-America honors (first-team indoor 200m, second-team indoor 60m and honorable mention outdoor 200m). He was also a part of both 4x100 teams that competed at NCAAs. Norman Grimes represented his hurdles group at the NCAA Outdoors, running in the 400m hurdles after winning the Big 12 title in the same event.

"Calvin brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our program," Texas Tech head coach Wes Kittley has said. "He has coached both Olympic medalist and NCAA champions. He is an incredible teacher and technician, and is a great asset to our men's sprints and hurdles."

Robinson joined the Texas Tech family after three years at Louisiana Tech, where he established himself as one of the premier sprints coaches in the country. During that time, he coached Trey Hadnot to a third-place finish in the indoor 200 meters in 2013 behind a school record 20.48 seconds. Robinson also had multiple 4x100 relays qualify for the national championships during his time with the Bulldogs.

Robinson is married to Precious Robinson and has four children: Kendall, Kamron, Avery and Earnest.

Top Performances during Robinson's Tenure

60m Dash (Indoor)