Clarence Robison

Clarence Franklin Robison (June 18, 1923 – September 26, 2006) was a track athlete and coach at Brigham Young University (BYU).

As a collegiate runner, Robison competed in the 880, one-mile, and two-mile, setting conference records in the latter two events.

Robison put his track career on hold to enlist in the U.S. Navy during World War II and served for three years.

Following the war, Robison capped his career by competing as a member of the U.S. Olympic team and U.S. National Track and Field team.

Robison was the head coach at BYU for 40 years.

During that time, he guided his teams to 19 WAC championships and a co-national championship.

He coached 118 All-Americans and 26 Olympians.

Robison was born in Fillmore, Utah, on June 18, 1923.

His parents were Archie and Charlottie (Lottie) Robison.

He had two older siblings, Rolf and Jene.

They lived on a 200-acre farm, growing mainly apples, peaches, pears and watermelons.

In his teenage years, Robison worked for the forest service.

He spent his summers in the mountains he loved, building fences and maintaining trails.

At the end of each day, when the other workers would load into trucks to make the journey back to town, Robison would run home.

His natural running abilities soon became apparent to all who knew him.

As a senior at Millard High School, Robison won the 880-yard run at the state track and field championships.

He also played on the school's basketball team.

In 1940, Robison enrolled at BYU in Provo, Utah.

He competed on the track and cross-country teams.

At 6-foot-4, he towered over most of the runners he competed against.

Robison also made the university's basketball team, but following the advice of his coaches, he opted to focus his efforts solely on track.

Over the course of his collegiate career, Robison lost only one race.

He competed in the 880, one-mile, and two-mile, setting conference records in the one-mile and two-mile events.

In 1943, with the country embroiled in World War II, Robison enlisted in the U.S. Navy.

He attended officers training school in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

While taking classes at the University of New Mexico, he played on the school's basketball team.

After returning from the war, Robison resumed his track career.

He then moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to attend the University of Michigan, where he earned a master's degree in health science.

In 1948, Robison traveled to Chicago, Illinois, to compete in the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.

He was among the top finishers in the 5,000-meter run, earning a place on Team USA.

He traveled with the team to London, where he competed in the Games of the XIV Olympiad.

Because of the disruption of World War II, the 1948 Olympics were the first Summer Olympics held since the 1936 Games in Berlin.

The following year, Robison returned to Europe with the U.S. National Track and Field team.

Of the 16 races Robison ran in Europe that summer, he won 12 of them.

(He got his B.S. degree from BYU in 1949 and his M.S. from the University of Michigan in 1955.)

Robison returned to BYU in 1949 and was promptly offered a job as head coach of the track and field team.

Though only 25 years old at the time, he agreed to discontinue his own professional career in order to help build BYU's track program.

Over the next 40 years, Robison helped BYU track and field rise to prominence on the national scene.

His teams won 19 WAC championships and 118 of his athletes were named All-Americans.

Additionally, 26 of them would go on to be Olympians.