Associate Commissioner Tom Robinson to be recognized with lifetime achievement award
One of Colorado’s most celebrated all-around athletes, sports game officials and CHSAA Associate Commissioner Tom Robinson will be presented with the Joint Effort Lifetime Achievement Award on Thursday, April 12 at 7 p.m. at Manual High School Thunder Dome.
Robinson is being recognized for his many years of service to the Colorado High School sports community through his work at CHSAA, but also for his many years of committed service to his community as a sports official and for his work with the Cleo Parker Dance Studio, one of the finest dance studios in the world. Robinson’s wife internationally recognized choreographer, Cleo Parker Robinson.
“We are pleased to recognize the work and contributions of Tom Robinson. Tom is a bridge between high school sports and community and is one of the truly ‘good guys’ in the Colorado youth sports landscape, John Bailey, Joint Effort Director, said on this announcement.
“Tom Robinson is one of those rare individuals who has enjoyed success at every step of his life. He was an exceptional athlete, teacher, coach and athletic official. He has the credibility in the community because he is a product of the community, whether it’s sports, officiating, or the entertainment community. That credibility comes from being genuine, caring and deliberate about what he does,” CHSAA Assistant Commissioner and long-time colleague Bert Borgmann said.
“The young people of our state have benefited from the work that Tom has done as a teacher, coach and official.”
Robinson is in his fourth year as Associate Commissioner, after serving 13 years as Assistant Commissioner. He started at CHSAA in after a 30-year teaching career at Regis Jesuit High School where he taught all levels of mathematics, including AP Calculus. He was a teacher at the school from 1969 until 2001 and served as the school’s director of diversity from 1995-2001. He was a member of Regis Jesuit’s Board of Trustees from 2003 until 2012.
While teaching at Regis, Robinson was the varsity basketball coach for 10 years (1983-93), varsity golf coach (1993-95), and was an assistant coach in football, basketball and track (1969-83).
His primary responsibilities for the CHSAA office include golf and officials, but he has developed a sporting behavior program that has earned recognition from member schools based on the premise that fans should “Cheer for Your Team and Not Against Your Opponents.”
He was named the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame’s Outstanding College Official, receiving the Award in 2008. He has also been awarded the John Adams Officiating Award, sponsored jointly by the CHSAA, Mountain West and Western Athletic Conferences.
From 1975-2000, he was a collegiate football official for the western Athletic and Mountain West conferences, and currently serves as replay official in the CFO West, which serves the Big 12, Mountain West and Southland conferences. He worked the Bluebonnet, Fiesta, Rose, Cotton, Gator, Independence and Citrus Bowls. Prior to that he was a high school football official from 1969 to 1975. He was given the Outstanding Service Award from the MWC upon his retirement from on-field coaching.
He moved into a position as a collegiate replay official, earning the responsibility of handling the replay officiating duties for the 2017 NCAA title game between Clemson and Alabam.
A 1969 graduate of Colorado State University, Robinson ran track and played both basketball and football, while earning his degree in mathematics. He earned his master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Denver in 1982. As a student at Regis Jesuit, he was named to the football All-State team.
He is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations’ Football Rules Committee and has served a term on the Basketball Rules Committee. He has also served as a board member for the National Association of Sports Officials.
He and his wife, Cleo Parker Robinson, have shared 47 years of marriage and have one son, Malik.
