IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa Director of Track and Field Joey Woody announced the promotion of Ray Robinson to Associate Head Coach of Track and Field on Wednesday afternoon.
“I want to thank Coach Woody for this great opportunity,” Robinson said. “I am truly honored and excited to continue working with our student-athletes to achieve high levels of success both academically and athletically. I appreciate the confidence Coach Woody and his staff have in me to continue building this program. Our family loves being part of Hawkeye Nation. We are extremely blessed to be part of such an outstanding university and athletics department.”
Robinson had primarily been Iowa’s throws coach since he joined the staff in 2021.
“We are very excited to name Ray as our new Associate Head Track and Field Coach,” Woody said. “He has had an incredible impact on our program since he arrived on campus three years ago. As the tide changes in college athletics, with roster limits and NIL, we realize the importance of having an associate head coach to assist with taking on those responsibilities. Coach Robinson is well respected as one of the best throws coaches in the country and brings a wealth of knowledge on how to build championship programs. He is committed to his new role and taking our program to the next level.”
In his time at Iowa, Robinson has coached seven Hawkeyes to All-America status. Under Robinson’s direction in 2024, Mike Stein (javelin) and Jordan Johnson (discus) were Outdoor NCAA All-Americans, while Stein joined Kat Moody (discus) as Outdoor Big Ten Champions in their respective events. In 2023, Robinson coached senior Amanda Howe to second-team All-American status in the hammer throw. In his first season with Iowa, Robinson coached four All-Americans, including three first-team honorees.
Robinson is a two-time graduate of Tiffin University. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in 2010 and his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources in 2015. He previously held the TU school record in the discus throw and is on the top 10 performance list in hammer throw and weight throw. He is a three-time All-GLIAC honoree and was selected to the GLIAC All-Academic team four times while twice earning Academic All-America honors.
Robinson is married to Kristen Robinson, a former All-American shot putter for the Dragons and TU Hall of Fame inductee. Ray and Kristen have three daughters, McKenzie Jo, Jordy Rae and Emileigh James.