Head Coaches
The Robinson varsity football team has had five head coaches in its history: Kurt Lindstrom (1972–74), Ed Henry (1975–82), Nick Hilgert (1983–96), Mark Bendorf (1997–June 2011) and Trey Taylor (2011-present).
Ed Henry, Robinson's second head coach, was the first to take the team to the postseason, in 1977 (state semifinals) and 1979. Henry was a head coach in Fairfax County for over 25 years (159-82-14, .651) and was inducted into the VHSL Hall of Fame in 1997. Before coming to Robinson in 1975, he led a strong program at Marshall (44-17-1, .718) for six seasons (and was portrayed by Tom Nowicki in the 2000 movie Remember the Titans). Before Marshall, Ed Henry was the head coach at Annandale for 9 years (60-22-6, .716), winning a state championship in 1965. He departed Robinson after 8 seasons (43-35-5, .559) following the 1982 season to become an assistant coach at the University of Virginia.
Nick Hilgert and Mark Bendorf were former assistant coaches at Robinson, promoted from within. Hilgert, a former captain in the Marines (with two tours in Vietnam in the 1960s), was an assistant under Ed Henry for a decade at both Marshall and Robinson, initially coaching the defensive backs. He was at Robinson for a total of 21 seasons (1976–96), the final 14 years as head coach (101-52, .660). Nick Hilgert was the first head coach to take Robinson to the state finals in football (1988); he retired from teaching and coaching in the spring of 1997.
During Hilgert's tenure, Robinson produced its most famous player, running back Chris Warren (class of '85). Warren played for the NFL Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s. He rushed for over 7,600 yards (6,900 m) in the NFL, including 4 consecutive seasons over 1,000 yards (910 m) while with the Seahawks (1992–95). Chris Warren led the AFC in rushing in 1994 with 1,545 yards (1,413 m) in 333 attempts.
Mark Bendorf, was a former head coach at Chantilly before joining the Robinson staff as defensive coordinator under Hilgert. Bendorf was the first coach to lead the school to a state title in football, which he did in his first season of 1997, with a perfect 14-0 record. In total, he has led the team to three state title games, winning twice (1997 & 2001). Coach Bendorf also helped produce running back Mike Imoh who went on to start for Virginia Tech(2003–2006). Robinson's recent regular season records have been impressive, specifically in the 7 seasons of 1999-2005, when Robinson lost a total of 4 regular season games. Bendorf is a 1974 graduate of Marshall High School, where he played under head coach Ed Henry.
Coach Trey Taylor took over the Rams in 2011. They finished the season with 4 wins and 7 losses, their worst record in years.
Read more about this topic: Robinson Secondary School, Athletics, Football
Famous quotes containing the words head and/or coaches:
“Thus do I want man and woman to be: the one fit to wage war and the other fit to give birth, but both fit to dance with head and feet.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“The real persuaders are our appetites, our fears and above all our vanity. The skillful propagandist stirs and coaches these internal persuaders.”
—Eric Hoffer (1902–1983)