The Rollie Robbins Endowment

Much More Than a Coach

Rollie Robbins was a teacher, coach, mentor and, most importantly, friend to the students of Seattle Prep. We were privileged to have Rollie on staff from 1990 to 2000. In 2004, Rollie was awarded Prep’s Magis Award for always striving for “the more” personally, professionally and most importantly, in service to others – his students. The impact of his teaching still resonates among the alums who he coached and taught.

It is rare to find someone who lived his or her personal and professional life with as much integrity, sensitivity, compassion and strength as Rollie Robbins. It is perhaps even rarer to come across an individual who has so inspired and fostered these characteristics in others. Rollie accomplished this with a remarkably giving spirit and a phenomenal sense of humility. We remember Rollie not just for the tremendous impact he had on the Prep community, but for the way he embodied the Ignatian ideals in his own life.

The Rollie Robbins Endowment was established in 2007, shortly after Rollie’s death. Harpur Davidson ’96 and James Rudolf ’96 were inspired at Rollie’s memorial service to do something that would honor their beloved coach, teacher and mentor. They began asking Rollie’s former students and their families to help establish an endowment in Rollie’s memory. The response was great. Former students, alumni, Prep faculty/ staff, friends and family all came together to fund the Rollie Robbins Endowment to honor the man they so greatly respected and missed. Gifts of all sizes helped grow the endowment to over $50,000, generating sufficient funds to award tuition assistance to one student. Rollie’s wife, Kay, and son, Mitch, worked together to select the criteria that would be used to help choose the recipient. They both wanted Rollie’s endowment to assist a Prep student who exhibits leadership potential, is involved in school athletics and who has overcome some obstacle or challenge in his or her life. These are attributes Rollie embodied.

The Rollie Robbins Endowment, in combination with other named endowments, continues to help support the growing demand for tuition assistance. Our mission remains consistent to continue to be accessible to all deserving students who desire a Jesuit education. By growing our endowments, we ensure that we will be able to meet the increasing demand and live out our mission for generations to come. Through this endowment, Rollie’s legacy of dedication to his students, especially those less fortunate, lives on in perpetuity.