Glenn Robinson has a son named Gelen who committed to Purdue, but not for basketball
Glenn Robinson remains one of Purdue’s most famous past students. The former Boilermaker and Bucks forward who tore apart the Big Ten en route to the top spot in the NBA Draft has long since retired from the NBA, but "Big Dog" is still making an impact at his former school, now via his offspring.
First, it was Glenn Robinson III turning down Purdue for a spot at Michigan and an eventual berth in the NCAA national championship game. Now, the elder Robinson’s younger son, Gelen, is trying to right the family’s Boilermaker legacy by committing to the school … for football.
As reported by Nortwest Indiana Times and Rivals.com, Gelen Robinson -- yes, Glenn Robinson really named his second son Gelen (remember, Glenn was already taken) -- committed to play football at Purdue in part because of his father’s legacy at the school, even though Gelen will attempt to star in a different sport.
"Obviously, I have a good family connection there. My dad went there, so I wanted to go there, too. It was about me being my own self. It was really important they didn't recruit me because of my dad. They recruited me because of me."
While it’s far too early to determine if Gelen will be able to replicate his father’s success on a different field of play, he certainly has all of the tools to do so. A 6-foot-1, 231-pound physical dynamo, Gelen is among the nation’s most highly regarded defensive ends, though he could transition to linebacker at Purdue.
Rivals.com ranks the younger Robinson as one of the top-5 overall prospects in the state of Indiana, where he starred for St. John (Ind.) Lake Central High with 95 tackles and 13 sacks.
If those stats aren’t gaudy enough for a junior, consider this: According to MaxPreps, Robinson is also the reining state wrestling champion in the 220-pound division and was the state runner in both the discus and shot put event during the Spring track season.
Something tells us the fact that Gelen Robinson is related to Glenn Robinson -- or perhaps to both Glenn Robinsons -- will get a lot more attention than his shot put and discus work, at least for everyone besides the Purdue track and field coaching staff.
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