http://www.mercurynews.com/cal-bears/ci_26097094/local-digest-former-cal-two-sport-star-earl?source=rss&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

A great person.

A great player for Cal.

BHS.

Coach Robinson is one of the great athletes and coaches to grace our community and Cal athletic history.

Up you go Earl Robinson.

Great person is right. I have previously recounted the story of how he came to the aid of a friend of mine who was under attack by a group of black Berkeley HS students after Berkeley/Piedmont football game. Had it not been for Robby, my friend might have suffered serious harm but, thankfully, did not. Robby was also, IMO, the best athlete at Cal during my time there. Although he starred in Basketball and baseball, watching him throw a football in intramural games it was clear he could have competed at QB had he chosen to play football. This is a loss for all who love Cal.

Here's a great article about the friendships among Earl, Pete Domoto, Joe Kapp, and the basketball team members.

[URL="http://alumni.berkeley.edu/california-magazine/just-in/2014-04-15/going-bat-earl-robinson-we-ve-got-do-something-help-robbie"][COLOR="Navy"]Link [/COLOR][/URL]

SanseiBear;842331277 said:

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Here's a great article about the friendships among Earl, Pete Domoto, Joe Kapp, and the basketball team members.

[URL="http://alumni.berkeley.edu/california-magazine/just-in/2014-04-15/going-bat-earl-robinson-we-ve-got-do-something-help-robbie"][COLOR="Navy"]Link [/COLOR][/URL]

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+1

Thanks for posting this link.

I idolized Earl Robinson as a kid here in Berkeley. Such an impressive athlete and team leader on the court and off. As the only Black player on the team and probably on the court in those days, all eyes were focused on his excellent play. He was especially striking in the home white uniform and shoes. :cheer

There were 2 other black players who played with Robby on the frosh team of '54-'55: Bob Tealer from San Francisco and Bob Washington from Fresno, but I don't believe either ever made it to the varsity level though both had been touted recruits. I think Washington had academic problems and I don't recall why Tealer left. There were very few black athletes at all on campus in that era, just a handful of footballers. the above mentioned BB guys, Leamon King and Joe Griffin in track but not many others. For that matter, looking through old yearbooks, I'm always surprised to see how few people of color there were in that era.

"I'm always surprised to see how few people of color there were in that era."



Yes, that's the way it was. The great liberal bastion .......Berkeley.

UCLA was there for black athletes in the 1930's...............Cal, in the 1950's.


Explains what we experience today between the two institutions on the field and on the court.

I told my high school baseball coach that Earl Robinson had just passed away because I knew he had known him. Could have been from college or playing ball against him in high school. Anyway, when Curt Flood passed away, my coach went down to his funeral in LA to represent Flood's American Legion coach, who had passed away a year or two earlier. When he got to the service, he saw Earl Robinson who proceeded to introduce him to all those sitting in the front row. My coach shook hands with the likes of Bob Gibson, Bill White, Vada Pinson and a host of other Major League greats.

It's just possible that McClymonds HS produced more great baseball players than they did basketball players.