Robbie Crockett Story

 Robbie Crockett, a 1997 Battle Creek Central graduate, is adding to his legacy in the football world while helping to add to Harper Creek’s football legacy as a coach. Robbie has been involved in football much of his life. He discussed his early years on the gridiron. “I had no interest in football prior to 7th grade. My mom didn’t want me to play because she felt it was too dangerous. Friends from my neighborhood loved football and were excited about the upcoming season as we transitioned from elementary school to middle school. The summer before 7th grade, I went with them to equipment checkout with no intention of joining the football team.” Robbie had a reputation for being the fastest kid in the neighborhood. The 7th-grade coaches for Southeastern Middle School were well aware of the athletic talent that Robbie possessed as well as his physical stature, already standing 5 ft. 8 in. and weighing 185 pounds. Head coach Mike Russell wanted Robbie to join the team and tried to convince him to do so. Robbie reflected on the exchange he had with the coaches. “I told the coaches that my mom would never let me play football. They were persistent, however. Coach Russell finally convinced my mom to let me come out. He assured her that she could come and watch every practice, and she could pull me out anytime if she felt I was in danger. Mom relented and let me join the team. She also came to every practice that year to keep an eye on me.” Early on, Robbie didn’t fully understand the strategy involved or the game plan that his coaches were trying to implement, but this didn’t matter. His raw speed allowed him to simply outrun the opponent while playing on his team’s offense as a running back and on special teams as a punt returner. His 7th-grade team experienced some success that catapulted them to an undefeated season the next year in 8th grade under head coach Barry Duckham.

Doug Bess, the Bearcats’ JV coach, was there to watch Robbie’s team play their final game of their 8th-grade season and instantly realized the impact Robbie could have for the Bearcats as a high school football player. Robbie talked about his high-school career. “Coach Bess felt that my skill set would not best be utilized in the wishbone offense that Central was accustomed to running and that the Multiple I offense would produce more positive results. He talked to head coach Al Slammer, and they developed a plan. I played JV my freshman year and then moved up to varsity my sophomore year as we transitioned to the Multiple I. In my sophomore year, we were 5-4, and we improved to 6-3 the next year. As seniors, we made a huge leap, finishing the regular season 8-1 and winning our conference. We also made the playoffs for the first time in years as seniors. Unfortunately, we lost to Walled Lake Western in the first round, and they went on the win the state championship.” 

Individual accomplishments for Robbie as a high school athlete included earning all-state honors on the gridiron in his last two seasons. By the time he graduated, he held almost every Bearcat rushing record, including accumulating 1700 yards in one season.. With his natural speed, Robbie also starred on the track with the 4 by 100 relay and 4 by 200 relay being his main events. 

Robbie garnered interest from college football coaches early on. “I received my first recruitment letter as an 8th grader from the University of Illinois,” Robbie recalled. “Going into my junior year, Coach Slammer, who played under Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr when he was at Eastern Michigan, wanted me to go to Michigan’s football camp.” Robbie shone at the Michigan camp and caught the attention of Coach Carr. This experience helped to raise his stock as a Division 1 football recruit on a national scale. “Coaches from the SEC, the Big Ten, and the Ivy League reached out to me,” Robbie explained. “I was a die-hard Michigan fan, and this became my top choice.” Robbie returned to the Michigan camp the summer after his junior year, leading the stat line for all running backs in attendance. Coach Carr made an official offer to Robbie. “I was thrilled with the offer from Coach Carr, but wasn’t ready to commit right away,” Robbie said. “I had never spent much time out of Michigan, and part of me wanted to venture outside of our state. I didn’t commit right away, so Coach Carr offered my scholarship to another running back. After Michigan dropped its offer, Nick Saban from MSU began heavily recruiting me. I considered going to MSU, but Coach Saban hinted that his defensive coordinator, Dean Pees, wanted me as a defensive back. I wanted to continue as a running back, and this concerned me.”

A conversation with a high school buddy of his, Leon Jones, set things in motion for Robbie to commit to the University of Iowa. Leon had just returned from a basketball recruiting trip to Iowa and raved about it. Robbie reflected on this. “Iowa’s coach Hayden Fry had been recruiting me, and after my conversation with Leon, I decided to go for a visit. I was impressed with Coach Fry, the culture in Iowa, how down-to-earth everyone was, and how much everyone supported their football team. I came back home and immediately committed to Iowa.” 

Robbie’s career at Iowa didn’t live up to the hype that was expected, as he eventually lost the top running back spot to Ladell Betts. Coach Fry would retire after Robbie’s sophomore season, with Kirk Ferentz taking his place, adding another unexpected scenario for Robbie.  He reflected on his college career. “There were high points and low points. Taking a handoff and going 30 yards to the house against Purdue on my first collegiate carry was probably the most exciting moment. One piece of interesting trivia is that I scored the last TD of Coach Fry’s career and the first TD from scrimmage of Coach Ferentz’s career. Although there were disappointments, I loved my experience at Iowa and am grateful for my time there.”

Robbie graduated from Iowa in 2001 with a BA in business and administration. He still had hopes of being selected in the NFL draft, but this didn’t pan out. He stayed in Iowa, working as a manager at Walmart, and eventually transferred to a store in Minnesota. He talked about what eventually brought him back to Battle Creek. “I came back home in 2007 to be with my son, whose mom had just passed away. I initially worked at National City Bank before being hired to work in finance for Kellogg's in 2016.” Although Robbie wasn’t able to play in the NFL, football has remained a part of his life. He played for the Battle Creek Blaze, a semi-pro football team from 2008 through 2016. He has also used his experience as a football player to give back as a mentor and a coach. “I have tried to use what I learned from the coaching staff at Iowa to stay in the game. I was fortunate to be exposed to training philosophies and procedures from the Bill Walsh and Bill Parcells coaching trees that filtered down to Hayden Fry, Kirk Ferentz. Iowa running back coach Carl Jackson provided the biggest influence on my understanding of the game of football. I started training my son to prepare him for football when he was 10 years old until his freshman year of high school, when he started playing hockey in 2012. Three years later, I began coaching my stepson’s rocket football team at Pennfield, doing this through his 8th-grade season.” 

Coach Mason Converse asked Robbie to join his staff at Harper Creek as the running backs coach in 2023. Robbie talked about being a high school coach. “I have been given full control of coaching the running backs, applying the knowledge I gained from the coaches at Iowa to work with them on techniques, strength training, flexibility, and football IQ. I want my running backs to be fundamentally sound. Coaching brings an excitement of the unknown to my life. It keeps me involved with the game. I live and breathe football, and coaching is a way to keep it in my life.” 

Coach Converse reflected on the impact Robbie has had on his team. “He knows the game of football and has played it at a high level, but what makes him so valuable is that he excels at building relationships and being a great mentor and teacher.”

Harper Creek assistant football coach Matt Bilger is also grateful for what Robbie brings to the program. “While Robbie has made outstanding 

contributions to our football program during the season, perhaps his most impactful contributions have come in the offseason,” Bilger commented. “For the past two years, Robbie has helped train skill position players in the evenings during the offseason using the Iowa lifting program.” Robbie’s commitment to mentor the players year-round, along with the athletes' buy-in to what Robbie is teaching and putting in the work during the offseason, has helped to strengthen the culture of the program.

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