Hokie ClubEDINBORO, Pa. - Virginia Tech associate head wrestling coach Tony Robie was inducted into the Edinboro University Athletic Hall of Fame Saturday night at the 27th Annual Hall of Fame Awards Banquet at McComb Fieldhouse.
The 10 new members bring the Edinboro Hall of Fame membership to 183 inductees. The 2008 inductees include: former baseball standout Brad Aurila; former football standout Mike Barnes; Bob Kaufman, who made his mark in wrestling; Tyrone Mason, a former men's basketball standout; former football player Jeremy O'Day; Stephanie Radecki, a former volleyball standout; and former wrestling standouts Tony Robie and Jason Robison. In addition to the eight student-athlete inductees, the Athletic Hall of Fame will induct Jim Camp as the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award, and Jack Swope as the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.
"This class is very indicative of the type of quality inductees the Edinboro Athletic Hall of Fame has stood for through the years," said Edinboro Director of Athletics Bruce Baumgartner. "These individuals have brought distinction to themselves, our athletic department and our University during their careers. It bears noting that many of them have remained in athletics and have been extremely successful in a coaching venue The ten inductees represent a very diverse group, and we look forward to paying tribute to them at the induction ceremonies."
Below is Robie's synopsis from the school's official release:
Tony Robie ('95) was a standout in wrestling from 1992-97, earning All-American honors twice. A native of Erie, Pa., he currently ranks seventh in career wins with a 126-24 record while competing mainly at 158 lbs. He was also a three-time national qualifier and three-time Eastern Wrestling League and PSAC champion who won his final 43 dual matches, going undefeated his final three seasons. After posting a 19-12 record as a freshman, he came on to go 40-4 as a sophomore. The 40-wins are tied for the sixth-most wins in a season. He would win his first EWL and PSAC titles. In 1992-93 he took the next step and earned All-American honors with a fifth place finish at 158 lbs. He entered Nationals with one loss and lost twice at Nationals in overtime to finish with a 32-3 record. Robie would end the year ranked third by Amateur Wrestling News. He won his second EWL and PSAC titles along with finishing second at the Midlands Tournament. After redshirting in 1995-96, he became just the third Edinboro wrestler to reach a Division I championship match, defeating the 1995 national champion, Earnest Benion of Illinois, in the semifinals. In the finals, he dropped a 5-3 decision to defending national champion Joe Williams of Iowa. That capped a 35-5 senior campaign and helped Edinboro finish sixth, its highest finish ever at the Division I National Championships. Along the way he won his third straight EWL and PSAC crowns. In 1998 he won a bronze medal at the U.S. Open Freestyle Championships. Robie was previously inducted into the Metro Erie Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2005 and the EWL Hall of Fame in 2006. Since leaving Edinboro he has enjoyed a very successful coaching career, helping coach 23 NCAA All-Americans and five teams to top ten finishes. He is currently in his second year as the associate head coach at Virginia Tech, residing in Christiansburg, Va., with his wife Jennifer and sons Nathan, Luke and Jake. Previous coaching stops include assistant coaching positions at West Virginia, Edinboro and Michigan, along with the head coaching job at Binghamton.