Coach Robbie Gribbins is a God-fearing man whose faith has landed him a leadership role on Campbellsville University’s football team. Gribbins enters his third year as assistant linebacker coach for CU and has made an impact more important than just the X’s and O’s.
Gribbins became a coach at CU in 2022, and he also played football for CU in 2004.
Before Gribbins became a Marine, he met his wife, Andrea, at CU in 2003, and they have two children.
Gribbins decided to join the Marines in 2000 after graduating from high school. Though it was a spiteful decision, it ended up being one of the best decisions he’s ever made and has been an important reason he is who he is today.
“To anyone who’s thinking about joining the Marines, do it,” Gribbins said. “It’s a great career with great benefits after graduating.”
The Marines taught Gribbins how to fight through adversity every day. Finding a way to wake up the next day and see the sun is a daily encounter he faced while in the Marines. Being able to adopt this skill is part of what has allowed Coach Gribbins to lead among men on the CU football team.
“From start to finish, I was challenged,” Gribbins said. “Everything you’ve known up to that point has to be taught again. Staying alive every day was a challenge. At 20 years old, I had to kill to survive. We once went 42 days without a shower. With only baby wipes and a canteen to shower. Hardcore stuff.”
While he was being taught how to fight through adversity, he was also learning how to not only live but how to survive. He quickly learned how valuable the next day is, and how important living in the moment is. This mindset has influenced how he coaches and how he approaches being a leader.
“Everybody dies, but not everybody lives,” Gribbins said. “Life is short, yesterday is gone and it’s all about what’s here, in this moment. Why be average when you can be great?”
“When you had a conversation with me, I want you to remember how you felt,” Gribbins said. “I held guys accountable in their faith and as a man because I’ve been there before. My legacy is their legacy.” (Photo courtesy of CU Sports Information Department)
This approach the coach has brought to the CU football team has become contagious and influential. His leadership style and cutthroat approach have affected players on the team in a long-lasting manner. Seniors Tre Bass and Jacoby Miguel have both been positively affected by Gribbins’ leadership.
“He approaches leadership in a ‘tip of the spear’ mindset,” Bass said. “Always be a leader, especially if others look up to you.”
Wanting to be a leader, preaching about being a leader and asking for leadership is one thing. But being the actual pillar of what a leader is, is another. Gribbins has displayed leadership characteristics that haven’t gone unnoticed.
“I would describe Coach Gribbs leadership approach with words like selflessness, unity, consistency, accountability and hard work because these are all qualities he holds as a leader,” Miguel said.
With Gribbins having a Marine background, he understands how important accountability and discipline are for a man to be successful on and off the field. He’s not huge on yelling when it comes to how he handles discipline on the team. Rather, he will use tactics such as one-on-one conversations or making players run to enforce discipline.
“Coach Gribbs handles discipline one-on-one usually and you’ll do whatever workout/run he chooses is best fit for the situation,” Miguel said. “He’s always right beside you talking to you about your actions that got you there. He does not yell or talk to you crazy. He’s calm and will talk to you like a man, which tends to help the situation.”
A coach is much more than what he does on the field and Gribbins understands that. His goal as a coach is to leave an everlasting legacy on the team, and to be remembered for who he is as a man.
“When you had a conversation with me, I want you to remember how you felt,” Gribbins said. “That guy cared about me. He wanted to see me win. I held guys accountable in their faith and as a man because I’ve been there before. My legacy is their legacy.”
It’s safe to say Gribbins is off to a great start in creating that legacy at CU.
“When it’s all said and done, I will remember how he never once doubted me,” Bass said. “And after all he knows about my life, what we’ve been through, he continues to be one of the only people to check up on me daily. He and I will forever have a great relationship.”
For any athlete looking to become a coach, join the Marines, or be a leader, Gribbins has some advice.
“Build relationships,” he said. “You don’t always have to be seen to be heard. Be willing to sharpen your tools and remain coachable in your ways. It can’t be your way or the highway. Know your players, lead by example and be an example of what you ask of your players.”
