LAS VEGAS – Jackson State University Vice President / Director of Athletics Ashley Robinson was honored for his leadership as he received the prestigious 2021-2022 Cushman & Wakefield Athletic Director of the Year award by the National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
Robinson was honored at the 57th Annual NACDA & Affiliates Convention at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. The elite recognition spans seven collegiate divisions (NCAA FBS, FCS, Division I-AAA, II, III, NAIA/Other Four-Year Institutions and Junior College/Community Colleges), as Robinson was one of 28 winners recognized Tuesday.
The Athletic Director of The Year Award highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses, and their surrounding communities.
Completing his fourth year as athletic director at Jackson State, Robinson has continued to improve JSU athletics in the classroom and in competition. JSU student-athletes combined to post a 3.2 grade-point average for the 2021-22 academic year, with 12 teams earning 3.0 GPAs with 55 graduates.
In perhaps his boldest decision, Robinson and JSU leadership named Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders as head football coach of the Tigers. The hire of Sanders not only galvanized JSU football but transformed college athletics on and off the field. Sanders led JSU to an 11-2 record and the SWAC Championship in 2021 while elevating the Jackson State University brand to become one of the most recognized in sports and culture today. Jackson State set an FCS home football attendance record last fall, averaging more than 42,000 fans.
“You walk through the airport, you turn the radio on, you open the newspaper, you turn SportsCenter on, you see Jackson State University,” Robinson told the Clarion-Ledger daily newspaper in Jackson, Ms. this week. “That shows the branding that we’re doing for our institution and the success we’re having. We want to continue to grow Jackson State, but that’s one of the best experiences you can ever have as an athletic director.”
Robinson’s has also added another coach with serious professional credentials, 14-year NBA veteran Mo Williams as JSU’s new men’s basketball coach.
“In order to do things that have never been done before, you have to do something different,” Robinson told the newspaper. “I’m all about change and making sure we give our student athletes the best when it comes to coaches. But also, Jackson State has a rich tradition. Our alumni and fans expect to win. So you want to bring in high-level coaches.”
Among the on-field highlights during the past year, Jackson State won its first Southwestern Athletic Conference football championship since 2007. JSU women’s basketball became the first SWAC team in more than a decade to win three consecutive regular season championships while also winning back-to-back conference tournament titles. JSU men’s cross country won the SWAC Championship, women’s volleyball won its second consecutive SWAC regular season championship, and women’s tennis won its second straight SWAC regular season title and first conference championship since 2005.
Always visionary and forward- thinking, three of Robinson’s football hires, all first-time college head coaches at the time, earned postseason play in fall 2021. Willie Simmons, whom Robinson hired at Prairie View A&M in 2015, led Florida A&M to an at-large berth in the FCS playoffs, the first for a SWAC school in more than 20 years. Eric Dooley, who Robinson hired to replace Simmons prior to the 2018 season, led Prairie View A&M to the SWAC Football Championship game for the first time since 2009.
