Craig Robinson

Head coach of Oregon State basketball team (since May 2008) and first-brother-in-law

(Ricky Carioti/TWP)

Why He Matters

Robinson is one of the few people close to the Obamas who probably wouldn't have accepted a job in the White House. As Michelle Obama was moving her family to Washington, D.C., her older brother was starting his first season as the head coach of the Oregon State basketball team.

Robinson grew up with his sister on Chicago's South Side, and was a star basketball player for Princeton before becoming a millionaire bond trader first on Wall Street and later in Chicago. But he wasn't happy, and he gave up his high-paying job to take a slot as an assistant basketball coach.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: Head coach of the Brown University basketball team (2006 to 2008); Assistant coach of the Northwestern University basketball team (2000 to 2006); Vice President at Morgan Stanley Dean Whitter (1992 to 1999)
Hometown: Chicago, Ill.
Alma Mater: Princeton University, A.B. (Sociology), 1983; University of Chicago, MBA, 1992

Spouse: Kelly
Web site

Path to Power

Robinson grew up on the South Side of Chicago with his younger sister, Michelle. Their mother was a secretary. Their father, Fraser, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when he was in his 30s but continued to work at the city's water filtration plant until he died in 1991. In her speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Michelle Obama said Fraser was "our rock. Although he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in his early 30s, he was our provider. He was our champion, our hero."

Robinson was a basketball star at Mt. Carmel High, and he was recruited by schools like Purdue and the University of Washington. Fraser convinced him to attend Princeton even though he wasn't offered a scholarship there. Two years after he arrived, his younger sister, Michelle, followed him to Princeton. Robinson, a 6-foot-6 inch forward, led the Tigers to two Ivy League championships and two NCAA tournaments during his tenure. Twice he was selected Ivy League player of the year.

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After graduating with a degree in sociology, Robinson was drafted in the fourth round of the NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, but he never made the team. Instead, he traveled to England and played two seasons across the pond before returning to Chicago. He earned a master's degree in finance from the University of Chicago and in 1992, went to Wall Street to work for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. He proved to be a talented trader and worked his way up to vice president of sales and trading in the seven years in New York.

In 1999, Robinson moved back to Chicago and became managing director at Loop Capital Markets, a boutique firm. He was making seven figures and had a six-bedroom house and luxury cars. But he wasn't happy. "I'm so embarrassed to admit it," he said. "I had a Porsche 944 Turbo. I had a BMW station wagon. Who gets a BMW station wagon? It's the dumbest car in the world. Why would you buy a $75,000 station wagon?"

Then came the call that Robinson says changed his life. Bill Carmody, who was an assistant coach while Robinson was a player at Princeton, had taken a job as coach of Northwestern University and wanted Robinson to be his assistant. While living large in Chicago, Robinson had been working as a recruiter for Princeton. He coached a high school team and kept tabs on area players for his alma mater. Basketball was the one thing that made him truly happy, and he jumped at the opportunity even though he would be earning less than one-tenth what he was making as a bond trader. His sister made a similar choice, switching from a big-time law firm to public service after a few years as an attorney.

After six years at Northwestern, Robinson was offered a job as head coach of the basketball team at Brown University. In his second season, he led Brown to a record 19 wins. ''We're not going to be lottery picks in the N.B.A. draft,'' said Mark McAndrew, Brown's star player when Robinson arrived. ''We wanted a figure we could look upon for other things outside of basketball. Coach Robinson is great at that.''

Robinson said he loved his job at Brown, but "the kids I was recruiting and coaching, they have a head start." He thought he could do more for kids who were growing up like he did by leaving the Ivy League. When a job opened at Oregon State, a Pac-10 school, Robinson inquired. The cellar-dweller of the conference, Oregon State had five straight coaches who left the school with losing records and didn't win a single conference game in the 2007-2008 season. The school was turned down by a few potential coaches before it decided to give the Ivy Leaguer an interview. It hired Robinson on the spot.

The Issues

Robinson stresses discipline. He holds practice at 5:30 a.m. so that his players don't have to worry about missing class, and so they don't stay out late during the week.

He says he wants the kids he recruits to view him as more than a basketball coach. He wants to be a mentor and an example. "I want them to see you can be a good basketball player, a good student, a good citizen and know about more than just playing video games and watching NBA basketball," Robinson said.

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The Network

Robinson is Michelle Obama's older brother. When his sister began dating a young lawyer named Barack Obama, she asked Robinson to challenge her new suitor to a basketball game. Robinson says you can learn a lot from a person by how they play basketball and he was pleased to see that Obama was confident but not cocky.

Robinson was a regulary in Obama's pickup basketball games, which also included Reggie Love, John W. Rogers Jr., and Martin Nesbitt. Rogers introduced Robinson and Arne Duncan, who played on a very successful three-on-three team together for years.

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