By football standards, Lanness Robinson was not the biggest, strongest, nor fastest kid trying out, but he was grittier than most and smarter than most. That combination served him well in high school at Florida State and the other major stops along the way to his mammoth job now.

Lanness Robinson is the athletic director of athletics for Hillsborough County . He’s still 5-10 but not 150, more like 185. His domain covers 25 high schools with two to come next year, one in the northwest, Lake Fern-Lutz area, and one in Dover. That would, of course, increase the total to 28 and whatever student total the three would add to this county’s high school population of 190,000. 

Robinson said presently 12,000 are participating in intercollegiate athletics, his part of that of our residents.

‘’Just great for me to be a part of such a phenomenon. Just great. Me a local kid. Blows my mind when I think of it. And,’’ Robinson said, ‘’it surely makes me proud.’’ Makes my mama and my dad proud, too, and my uncle.

His uncle is Freddie Solomon, the wonder quarterback at the University of Tampa , all-star wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers. Saw Freddie and companion former stickout QB at U-T, Buddy Carter, lunching with Robinson at the Valencia near downtown Tampa and the university. Wondered about it. It was a business meeting, Freddie said, and a fun meeting of these three. Freddie said he and Lanness grew up together. Said he’d known Robinson since ‘’we were 2.’’

I hadn’t, so it was time for a visit with this man in such a key position now, head of the athletic programs in the Hillsborough school system, all those teams, all those athletes, all those games and tournaments. Staggering, really. And with so much growth predicted ahead. In numbers, this is third in the nation in totals, that 190,000 number.

‘’Good man,’’ assured Freddie Solomon.

‘’He’d say that,’’ said Robinson. ‘’Old friends. Indeed, Fred was idol, my hero. I wanted to be like him. I could not as an athlete. Who could? But as a man he was an all around person off the field.  I saw him play so much, talked with him so much. Yeah, I was in Detroit when the Niners let him play a little quarterback, a dream moment. Every chance I had, I would talk with Fred or with whoever he thought I should. I knew I needed help. I got it. Got some more the other day at the Valencia.’’

Me? Replied Robinson. Tampa born, but reared in his early years at Atlanta and Lauderdale, then to return to Tampa and go to Florida State University for his first degree. Got a Master’s at Saint Leo. He moved into the system in which he now heads the athletics program. Was an assistant coach and athletics assistant, he said, at Plant City and Wharton for a long time, but with an eye on the county
AD job Wayne Williamson and Vernon Korhn had before him, both of whom did celebrated jobs. Robinson said he wants to do as well as they did.

‘’How about Lanness, as a name?’’

‘’Goes way back in my family. Got uncles, grandpops. I’m Lanness Robinson the Third. So, they call me Trey.’’

We’ll all do that, Trey.