Background
The son of boxer Sugar Ray Robinson, Robinson grew up distant from his father, who divorced his mother shortly after his birth.
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Ronnie Robinson
Edit ProfileCareer
Sugar Ray advised Ronnie not to follow him into the world of boxing. After watching roller derby on television, he decided to join the sport, and enrolled in its training school in March 1958, initially under the pseudonym "Ronald Smith". He turned professional after five months, being placed on the New York Chiefs team
In the early years of his career, he also skated with the Chicago Westerners, Brooklyn Red Devils, Braves, San Diego Clippers and Mexico City Cardenales.
Robinson was the third African American to play roller derby professionally, after George Copeland and Darlene Anderson. On one occasion, Robinson fractured his arm in several places, and was unsure whether he would ever be able to use it again.
He also lost his front teeth in a fight with Bob Woodbury, and suffered several concussions. From 1969 to 1972, Robinson also acted as a coach for the New England Braves.
He then acted as a player representative and men"s captain for the Chicago/Midwest Pioneers in 1972 and 1973.
The promotion ended in 1973, and he then signed with the California Thunderbirds for 1974. The following year, Robinson joined the Roller Stars league, but soon moved to coach for the World Skating Derby. His final return was as a coach in the International Roller Skating Derby.
In 2004 Robinson was inducted to the Roller Derby Hall of Fame.
Membership
He was a member of the All-Star team for more than ten consecutive years, and was twice named the Most Valuable Player.
