After 23 seasons of leading the Mountain Heritage Cougars football team, Coach Joey Robinson has announced his retirement effective February 1, 2025. Coach Robinson has seen incredible success with the Cougars, ending his career with an overall record of 166-115, a conference record of 80-60, nine conference championships and two trips to the 2A state final game.
“Robinson transformed the Mountain Heritage program, starting with a Yancey County youth league he founded as Mountain Heritage’s offensive coordinator in 1998. The program has been instrumental to Mountain Heritage’s success, with players running the same offensive scheme from second and third grade through senior year of high school. Players from the 2009 regional championship team to the 2024 squad all played through Yancey County’s youth league.
It’s what Robinson said he’s most proud of as his career wraps up.”
-Citizen Times
Coach Robinson has been a mentor and leader on and off the field. After Hurricane Helene, he personally drove to his players’ houses where possible to check on them and see how he could help. With the schools being used for shelters, distribution points and basecamps for various agencies, Coach Robinson and many of his players volunteered wherever they could throughout the county.
Kathy Amos, Yancey County Schools Superintendent stated, “I love Friday night football! I appreciate Coach Robinson’s love of the players, the sport and our community. He has been a driving force in the success of our football teams through the years in the conference, and throughout the region and state. Thank you for your dedication and we wish you the best in your well-deserved retirement.”
“Coach Rob is one of a kind for Heritage Football, and has garnered respect across the state for his consistency, commitment and leadership in high school athletics. He’s much more than a football coach to MHHS student-athletes and faculty/staff, and to Yancey County. It has been a very personal experience for myself, in going from watching his teams play when he was in high school and I was growing up, to taking his weights class when I was in high school, to serving as his principal in my current position. He will be greatly missed, and has set us up for much success going forward.”
- MHHS Principal Daron Williams
