Colvin’s impact, legacy fondly recalled
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Robert “Bob” Parette Colvin left an indelible mark on the Robbinsville football program, leading the Black Knights to nearly 80 percent of their 1A state championships. The beloved coach passed away Jan. 25. -
Flanked by assistants Bergin Edwards (left) and John Bandy (right) before the 1969 season, Bob Colvin became the architect for success within the annals of Robbinsville High School football. Under his leadership, the Black Knights won 11 of the program’s 14 state championships.
Asheville – When your teams capture 11 state championships in a 14-year span, your name tends to become widely known.
Robert “Bob” Parette Colvin will forever be a name associated with Robbinsville High School football.
The famed Black Knights coach passed away Jan. 25, at the Brooks-Howell Retirement Community in Asheville. He was 83.
A 1962 graduate of Western Carolina University, Colvin was a born and raised resident of Robbinsville. After finishing college, he returned to his beloved Graham County, where his coaching resume speaks for itself.
Under Colvin, the Black Knights posted a 177-52-2 record, stretched between a 19-year stay at the helm (1966-85). Robbinsville collected 16 Smoky Mountain Conference championships, as well as the aforementioned 11, 1A state championships – an assembly that began in 1969 and was last added to in 1983, a year which marked the end of an improbable run that included five-straight titles. All told, the Knights were 40-6 in the postseason under Colvin’s watch.
He was selected to coach the North Carolina team in the 1980
Shrine Bowl and rightfully so, later inducted into the Graham County Athletic, Western North Carolina Sports, N.C. High School Athletic Association and the N.C. Sports halls of fame.
Additionally, visitors to what is now named “Modeal Walsh Memorial Stadium” get a chance to enjoy the same legacy Robbinsville players have access to on a daily basis: “Bob Colvin Field,” after the gridiron was named in his honor in 2019.
But that is a summary of what Colvin accomplished as a coach; what about his achievements as a friend? Mentor? Fellow man?
Tributes pour in
News of Colvin’s passing spread quickly Jan. 25, leading to kind words and condolences appearing across social media.
The Graham Star’s Facebook Advisory Page asked that former players and colleagues post their favorite memory of Colvin.
Three weighed in:
* Rick Davis (Member of 1969, 1970 state-championship teams): “The date was Friday, Sept. 23, 1970. It was one of the saddest days of my life – because on this day, my daddy, G. Posey Davis, Sr., was buried.The entire 1970 1A State Championship football team and coaches attended the funeral. That night, the Black Knights were to play the Sylva-Webster Golden Eagles, a formidable opponent. I was the team’s center and decided to play that night. My teammates dedicated the game to me and the memory of my daddy. The score at halftime was 20-14, Sylva-Webster. I do not remember much of Coach Colvin’s halftime talk other than through tear filled eyes he said, “This one is for Ricky.” There were a lot of tears shed and a renewed determination by my teammates. There was an “extra” player – an unexplained presence – with the team in the second half. The Black Knights won the game 58-28.
“Years later, I become a fellow educator working with Coach Colvin with the Graham County school system. Coach Colvin was always concerned about his players and was a true friend to all of us.”
* David Jenkins (1971 Black Knights): “I came to Robbinsville from Mountain View School, where we didn’t have a football team. I was welcome by the entire staff and team. Coach Colvin and his staff instilled life benefits that go throughout our lives. Winning against all odds has helped so many of us to achieve more success than we could have ever imagined. We loved and respected Coach Colvin throughout out our lives.
“Our hearts are deeply saddened by his passing. However, his teachings will live on throughout our lives. My prayers are for his family, fellow coaches, teams and friends that he touched with his devotion in teaching us to be winners in life by hard work, team work, honesty and preparation, so that we can all share in the many successes of the Robbinsville Black Knights.”
* Mark Manuel (Member of 1969, 1970 state-championship teams): “Coach Colvin had a major impact on my life and probably never realized it. My freshman year, I didn’t go out for JV football. I was more interested in baseball and basketball. Three weeks went by and all my buddies were always at practice. I was alone and bored to death. I swallowed my pride and went to coach and asked him if I could come out – three weeks late. He smiled – that little one he always had – and said “are you sure you want to play?” I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ Many coaches would not have allowed it – but he did.
“It was the stepping stone that allowed me to enjoy wonderful memories with my teammates. Coach was a very special man and I loved him.”
Colvin is survived by a son, Branyon Colvin; a daughter and son-in-law, Haize and Cory Lewis; grandchildren, 11-year-old Calix and 9-year-old Tallulah; a cousin, Rosemary Zimmerman; and the mother of his two children, Darla Colvin.
His funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, at Robbinsville High School.