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Robinson stands tall in Knights' success story. Date published: 4/28/2002 By Kurt Nicoll Rick Robinson of Spotsylvania County does not know the meaning of the word "quit." It was scared out of his system some 35 years ago. The 48-year-old contract and sales representative for Stock Building Supply (formerly Wilson Brothers) often wonders what his life would have been like if his football coach did not take a special interest in his life. "I'm thinking to myself, 'Here's this 76-pound weakling, here's the varsity football coach coming to his door. So it must mean something to him,'" Robinson reasoned. At the time, Robinson was an eighth-grader and a member of the Spotsylvania junior varsity wrestling team. Small and inexperienced, Robinson was getting pinned match after match, so he decided to quit. In stepped Hal Sparks, who served both as the Knights' varsity football coach and JV wrestling coach. "When my parents opened the door, I saw him standing there like a giant," said Robinson, who still stands five-foot-six, but is well-built. "Outside, he really put it to me about quitting. He told me, 'If you quit now, every time you get in a tough spot in life, you'll quit.' It's something that has stuck with me my whole life." Robinson never thought about quitting again, either in school or in the business world. His junior year (1969-70), Robinson was a co-captain of the Knights wrestling team that captured the school's first-ever Battlefield District title. Later that same school year, he played second base for the varsity baseball team that also won a district crown. Sparks' words of advice also served as a springboard for the 112-pounder his senior year. Robinson swept through the regular season undefeated before being upset in the district finals by Barry Kilmer of Culpeper. "I made one of those stupid moves and he pinned me," Robinson said. "When I walked off the mat you can imagine how badly I wanted to face him again." Robinson got that chance, defeating Kilmer in the finals of both the regional and state tournaments. "I've often wondered if I would have won at state if I hadn't lost that match in the district tournament," he said. Robinson was active in sports at a young age and despite his lack of size, received encouragement from his parents, Henry and Loula Robinson.
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