Justin Spears: Success hasn't changed NFL-bound Bijan Robinson, Tucson's purest gem

Bijan Robinson: Great football player, even better human being.

Those who have been around Robinson, whether it’s in Tucson or Austin, Texas, have uttered those words or have heard someone say that a time or two or three. And there’s plenty of reasons for that.

The first time I met the NFL-bound Robinson, he was a chubby-cheeked running back who had just finished his freshman season at Salpointe Catholic High School and was on everyone’s radar as the “the next great running back from Tucson” — a class that includes Ka’Deem Carey, Mario Bates, Michael Bates, Fred Sims and David Adams, among others.

When I asked coaches and people in tune with the Tucson football scene about Robinson, they raved about his youth football years with the Tucson Broncos and his tone-setting freshman year at Salpointe. By this point, Robinson had already received college interest from the hometown Arizona Wildcats, Washington and other West Coast college football programs.

In my first year reporting for the Star in 2017, I was assigned to write the game story for a Salpointe Catholic-Tucson High game at Kino North Stadium. In a first-half drive, the Lancers were knocking on the door to score. Robinson took the handoff, ran just past the right tackle, cut left, then hurdled over a Tucson High defender (poor No. 43, man) who attempted to tackle his legs and ran for a touchdown. The touchdown was called back because hurdling is against the rules at the high school level. Silly, I know. Robinson later learned the cons of hurdling in his second season at Texas, when he attempted to jump over a Texas Tech defender. Ouch town: Population, Robinson.

Just when I thought Robinson’s hurdle over a Tucson High linebacker would be peak ooh-ing and ah-ing over his football talents, he broke the big-school (Class 4A, 5A, 6A) record for most career rushing yards with 7,036 and 114 touchdowns. As a junior, he had four carries for 247 yards and three touchdowns against Casa Grande Vista Grande, and 430 yards and six touchdowns against a Goodyear Desert Edge team that went to the postseason and had multiple Division I players on its defense.

After games, a contingent of opponents, fans and kids would wait to take a photo with Robinson. To this day, I’ve never seen players from an opposing team fan-boy over a player they’re playing against, almost like it was a badge of honor that Robinson dusted them for 200-300 yards. One by one, Robinson, with his herculean stature and Hollywood smile, took photos with everybody, and no one walked away disappointed.

As the Robinson hype grew nationally, the college offers poured in. Since Robinson wasn’t active on Twitter at the time, he texted me the latest school to offer him and I would report on it. In a short amount of time, I became the “Bijan reporter,” akin to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst’s relationship with LeBron James in Akron, Ohio. Robinson and I were minutes away from having dinner at Tucson staple Eegees when Alabama assistant coach Jeff Banks offered him a scholarship to play for the Crimson Tide.

As thankful as I am for Robinson benefitting my career, I’m even more thankful for his unconditional friendship. The night before my father died in January 2019, Robinson, who is grounded in his Christian faith, recited a prayer to me over the phone. That’s the Bijan Robinson I’ll always remember. At the lowest point of my life, losing a parent at 23 years old, for him to do that meant the world to me.

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It’s a reflection of his upbringing with his parents LaMore and Lamont Sauls, his grandfather Cleo Robinson (who is a Pac-12 Hall of Fame official) and granduncle Paul Robinson (who played running back for the Cincinnati Bengals), among other family members.

Over the years at Texas, Robinson grew from household name in Tucson to one of the top running backs nationally — from someone who needed rides to practices at Salpointe Catholic to someone driving a Lamborghini courtesy of an NIL endorsement with the luxury car’s dealership in Austin. He went from a young boy who asked his parents for money to a man who is the face of a Dijon mustard empire, “Bijan Mustardson, the official Dijon of Bijan.” He also became a Matthew McConaughey protégé in Austin, befriending someone with unlimited connections in the film world, a profession Robinson wants to tap into when his football-playing career finishes.

Between juggling endorsements and building a brand, Robinson never lost touch with the core of his off-the-field success, which is on the field. His production at Texas never drastically dipped. Now he gets to continue to benefit off his name, image and likeness without big brother NCAA monitoring his every move.

More notably for all us in Tucson, the brand he’s most proud to represent is the Old Pueblo. Yes, there are other Tucsonans who are currently playing in the NFL, and there are more on the way. Robinson has a chance to become the highest-selected Tucson native in the NFL draft on Thursday in Kansas City; offensive lineman Mike Dawson was chosen No. 22 overall in 1976. Considering Robinson’s prowess as a pass catcher, he could land anywhere from the top 10 to late in the first round.

Multiple NFL scouts have anonymously stated Robinson is a “gold jacket” type of player, meaning he has the framework to mold into a Hall of Famer.

But regardless of where he lands on Thursday or what he does in the NFL, Robinson is a Hall of Famer in my book. He’s a first-round human being and a Hall of Fame man. He just so happens to be the best football player Tucson has ever produced.

Great football player, even better human being.

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