Springfield, Ohio – After a heroic six-year battle with the blood disease Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), Wittenberg University assistant track and field coach Dennis Robinson passed away on Christmas Eve. 

Robinson had served as an assistant with the Tiger track and field program since 2004, even while undergoing treatments since January 2009 for MDS, which requires a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. He worked primarily with sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers, helping numerous Tiger student-athletes to All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) honors, including Skip Ivery, Josh Colbert, Victor Banjo, Justin Yates and Laike Wallace, all of whom have qualified for NCAA Division III Championship competitions in the last decade. 

Funeral services for Robinson are scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 31, at the Wayman Chapel AME Church in Dayton, Ohio. A public viewing will take place at 8:30 a.m., followed by a service at 9 a.m. 

A graduate of Central State University, Robinson joined Wittenberg's coaching staff in 2004 after teaching and coaching in the Dayton Public School District for 17 years. During his coaching career at Meadowdale High School, Robinson led dozens of athletes to outstanding individual finishes in the state track meet, with a best team finish of third in 2001. 

Robinson earned Coach of the Year honors from the Southwestern Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches in 1977 for his work leading the Jefferson Township High School boys' team to the AA state championship. He went on to serve as head coach of the All-Ohio Boys' Track and Field team in 2001, earn recognition in Who's Who Among America's Teachers in 2000 and earn the Ohio High School Athletic Association's Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity Award in 2002.

Written By: Ryan Maurer