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assist, we all work to see if we can provide what ever is needed,” Robert says.

Growing up in a state which has one of the biggest football rivalries in college football, Auburn and Alabama, he was attracted to the Auburn program during the heyday of Pat Sullivan and Terry Beasley. In Alabama, you can’t be neutral. You must declare allegiance to one or the other.

When it came time for him to make college plans, he aspired to compete on the college level and had an open mind about where he would enroll. He knew that he would likely have to walk on wherever he played. There were not a lot of college scouts hanging around his high school.

At that time, a high school coach in Atlanta, Calvin Jones, had taken a job with the Bulldog basketball program, but he was also a football recruiter. He had married into Robert’s family and told him, “You should take a look at the University of Georgia. There is great opportunity there.”

All his older siblings, influenced by their father David, who worked at a hospital at nearby Tuskegee University, had all found a way to enroll in college. Robert was determined to make sure the family streak remained intact. He passed on the importance of competition and education to his sons Joshua (minister), Caleb (manager of the Georgia Theatre) and Nathan (lawyer).

Today his voice remains active with the Georgia athletes who are in reach of degree. He reminds them of the value a degree will make in their lives and their future. He provides counseling and advice to Georgia athletes, an invaluable member of the athletic staff who is caring, selfless and always lending a helping hand.