Nearly two years after making the bold move to hire Deion Sanders as his head football coach, Jackson State Director of Athletics Ashley Robinson was named AD of the Year in Las Vegas earlier this week. Robinson was one of 28 ADs to be recognized by Cushman & Wakefield – including several others from HBCUs.
Robinson told the Clarion-Ledger he’s proud of what has gone on at the SWAC program under his leadership.
“You walk through the airport, you turn the radio on, you open the newspaper, you turn SportsCenter on, you see Jackson State University,” Robinson told the Clarion-Ledger. “That shows the branding that we’re doing for our institution and the success we’re having. We want to continue to grow Jackson State, but that’s one of the best experiences you can ever have as an athletic director.”
Other HBCU ADs honored included Clyde Doughty, Jr. of Bowie State and former Morgan State AD Dr. Edward Scott.
Robinson addressed discussions about whether or not his football program – which went 11-2 last season – could move up to the FBS.
“Right now we want to dominate the FCS, then we can see where we are,” Robinson said. “I think we’re close. We played ULM this year, which was an FBS team and I thought we should have won that game. Our success is all about being dominant on and off the field.”
“In order to do things that have never been done before, you have to do something different,” Robinson said. ” I’m all about change and making sure we give our student athletes the best when it comes to coaches. But also, Jackson State has a rich tradition. Our alumni and fans expect to win. So you want to bring in high-level coaches.”