Nationality American Parents Sugar Ray Robinson Name Ronnie Robinson Weight 77 kg | Turned pro 1958 Height 1.78 m Died 2001 Retired 1974 | |
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Born September 25, 1939 ( 1939-09-25 ) Team New York ChiefsChicago WesternersBrooklyn Red DevilsNortheast BravesSan Diego ClippersMexico City CardenalesNew England BravesChicago PioneersLos Angeles Thunderbirds Now coaching 1969–1972, 1975, 1991–1992 Grandparents Leila Hurst, Walker Smith, Sr. | ||
Ronnie Smith Robinson (25 September 1939 – April 2001) was an American roller derby skater and coach.
The son of boxer Sugar Ray Robinson, Robinson grew up distant from his father, who divorced his mother shortly after his birth. Sugar Ray advised Ronnie not to follow him into the world of boxing. After watching roller derby on television, he decided to join the sport, and enrolled in its training school in March 1958, initially under the pseudonym "Ronald Smith." He turned professional after five months, being placed on the New York Chiefs team.
Robinson was the third African American to play roller derby professionally, after George Copeland and Darlene Anderson. He was a member of the All-Star team for more than ten consecutive years, and was twice named the Most Valuable Player. On one occasion, Robinson fractured his arm in several places, and was unsure whether he would ever be able to use it again. He also lost his front teeth in a fight with Bob Woodbury, and suffered several concussions.
In 2004 Robinson was inducted to the Roller Derby Hall of Fame.