UPDATED: Football: Robinson named new Washington Twp. coach
Lamont Robinson knew he had credentials.
He had played big-time college football at Oklahoma. He had been a star at Salem High School. He had been the defensive coordinator for a Millville team that won the South Jersey Group 5 title in December.
Still, he is 29. And he's never before been a head coach at the high school level.
"It was just a matter," Robinson said, "of somebody being willing to take a chance on me."
Washington Township announced on Tuesday night that the Gloucester County school district was entrusting its fabled football program to Robinson.
In a 9-0 vote by the Board of Education, Robinson was named Washington Township High School's new football coach.
"So excited," Robinson said from his home in Swedesboro. "It's a big-time school, big-time program. I can't wait to get started."
Robinson will replace Mark Wechter, who resigned in December after 11 seasons as the Minutemen's head coach.
Washington Township was 4-6 last season.
Robinson emerged from an extensive search for a new coach for one of South Jersey's most prominent programs. He is believed to have been one of more than 30 applicants.
"Coach Robinson has enjoyed success at every level of his playing and coaching careers, while focusing on family, academics and teamwork," Washington Township athletic director Kevin Murphy said in a statement. "He is an inspiring coach who will proudly continue the tradition of Minutemen football."
Robinson has overcome personal adversity. He suffered a broken neck and multiple facial fractures in an automobile accident before his senior year at Salem in 2004.
He returned to the Rams in time to play in four-and-a-half games and led the team to a playoff berth. A top student, Robinson earned a full scholarship to Oklahoma and played on three Big 12 championship teams, including the squad that played in the 2009 national title game.
Robinson earned his degree from Oklahoma and also earned a master's degree from Wilmington University.
He has been an assistant at Clayton, Salem and Millville.
Robinson will be tasked with reviving the fortunes of a program that has declined a bit in recent seasons in relation to its glory days, with no playoff victories since 2011.
"I want to build a team and a program that's among the elite in the whole state," Robinson said. "I want a team that plays with passion and enthusiasm, with players who love one another and love the game of football."
-- Contact Phil Anastasia at panastasia@phillynews.com
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