
Tyreek Robinson junior, human health, and performance major goes in for a layup against Lincoln University on Feb. 12, 2022. The hornets took a 48-33 lead a half. Robinson scored three total points in the game and helped contribute to an Emporia State win over the blue tigers 90-71.
Tyreek Robinson, junior health and human performance major, balances being a two sport athlete with being a full time student at Emporia State. Robinson is both a wide receiver for the football team and a forward for the men’s basketball team.
Robinson grew up playing basketball, but didn’t try football until his senior year of high school. His goal was to always be a college athlete, but he didn’t expect to be a dual sport athlete.
It is not uncommon for college athletes to do more than one sport. Football head coach Garin Higgins said he has seen multiple dual sport athletes throughout the years, but it is usually a track and football duo.
“It’s unique in the fact that it’s a basketball player,” Higgins said. “See track and football is a little easier to do because you have football as a sport in the fall and track as a sport that is in the spring.”
When college athletes play more than one sport, they focus on one season at a time. During football season, Robinson is a football player until the season ends. He said this usually only gives him a two day break before starting basketball season. Then he is a basketball player for the winter.
Once spring comes along he is back to football for the spring season. Summertime is the offseason for both sports so he tries to split the workouts for each sport. Robinson also said his diet doesn’t really change much from going back and forth.
“My first year doing it, like doing both last year, I felt like I had a lot on my plate,” Robinson said. “I definitely did and I didn’t really know how to manage my time as well and what to give and what effort or what time to what sport. Now I feel like I can do that a lot better and I communicate a lot better with my coaches and they understand that.”
Robinson was originally recruited as a basketball player for Emporia State and met coach Higgins on his visit. It was eventually mentioned that Robinson is a good football player and that he wouldn’t mind playing. Last year was his first year doing both sports after he and his coaches sat down and made a plan on how it would work.
In his free time, Robinson prefers to just relax and step away from the sport world for a while. He enjoys hanging out with his friends and not doing physical activity.
He works as needed for the Student Recreation Center and is appreciative of the flexible schedule.
“All I can really say is Emporia State has become a home to me,” Robinson said. “I have been here for four years now and I don’t think I could see myself anywhere else.”