Longtime Prophetstown coach Don Robinson ’76 is retiring after 38 years.  Don became the seventh high school coach in state history with 700 girls’ basketball wins this year. Placed in the spotlight, the longtime Prophetstown coach was not seeking the limelight.

(The athletes) were the ones who deserve the credit,” Robinson said last week. “It wasn’t about me. It was trying to get the best out of them. I’ll be honest — I really had fun. The effort the girls put forth made it fun. Thirty-eight years went by fast.”

Don started his trek a few months after graduating from Illinois Wesleyan in 1976. The first job was at Dixon-based Jefferson Elementary School as a science teacher. A year later, he went to Prophetstown as a science teacher and girls’ basketball and girls’ track coach.

Being a basketball coach always was the plan, but “I didn’t know it would be girls’ basketball.” The title remained the same for 38 seasons. Coaching track continued in the spring throughout his tenure, too. Upon reaching Prophetstown, Don built both programs into consistent winners. The secret was creating an enthusiastic environment that was fun and positive.

Memories came from all the games and meets, making it easy for Don to reflect on the moments. Not once did he take credit for all the wins and hardware. The players were responsible for the 705 wins and four State trophies. Of the four State trophies two were in track, 2nd in 2000 & 2013. The other two State trophies were in basketball, 2nd in 2A 2014 & 3rd in 1A 2015.

All Don did was relish the ride. Looking back, it was a good one.