The Durant High School Robinson Family Gymnasium was dedicated Feb. 13 after the Lady Lions basketball game with the Tahlequah Tigers.
Durant Lady Lions basketball head coach Will Robinson and his daughter Clara died in a Christmas Eve 2024 car accident in Sherman, Texas. Clara was a student at George Washington Elementary School.
Will’s father Tony, who had been an assistant coach, took over as head coach for the remainder of the 20242025 season, and he agreed to continue leading the team during the 20252026 season.
The Lady Lions made it to the Class 5A state tournament last season for the first time in 16 years.
Superintendent Mark Moring said the community wrapped its arms around the Robinson family and on Jan. 12, the school board voted to rename the gym the Robinson Family Gymnasium.
“On this day, we gather as a community to remember, to honor, and to dedicate this facility in the honor of Will Robinson, Clara Robinson, and the Robinson family,” Moring said, reading from the proclamation. “Our hearts were broken by their tragic passing. Yet in the midst of profound sorrow, the Robinson family demonstrated extraordinary courage, remarkable grace, and unwavering Christian faith. In their deepest valley, they showed our community what it means to trust God fully.”
In an interview after the ceremony, Moring said this was the first facility in the school district to be named after someone. The gym was named not only for Will and Clara, but also for the entire Robinson family because of the example they set for the community when in their deepest, darkest valleys, according to Moring.
“It was absolutely inspirational to not only the girls as you could see that made the state tournament last year, but to the community, to the faculty, to the entire town,” Moring said. “So, we want to honor them because they blessed us.
Moring said the family was a great example for him in his faith because they showed how to grow in the darkest times in our lives and come out on top triumphant.
“Our community support’s fantastic,” Moring said. “We’ve gone through several tragedies here lately and they always show up and they always support our own. This community is fantastic about supporting our schools.”
Moring said Tony Robinson brought calmness and a steady influence.
“What I loved about it, he in the midst of the tragedy, he wanted to finish the job that his son started,” Moring said. “We want educators to leave a piece of them with our students, and we know Will did and obviously, Coach Rob, Papa Rob has done that as well, so it is fantastic. There’s more than the scoreboard, and tonight, we didn’t win, but there’s more than the scoreboard and there’s lessons for life, and the girls on this team I know are absolutely learning lessons in life that will make them successful for the rest of their lives as well as the rest of the students, faculty and town.”
Speaking of coach Will Robinson, Moring said, “Will brought great energy to the team and Will was all over the community talking about basketball and helping youth in any way that he can. He was just a blessing to everybody that he came in contact with.”
Moring said it was phenomenal that the team made it to the state tournament last school year.
“There was just an effort there that is unheard of in the competition,” Moring said. “It was phenomenal to see them because they were picked second, third, fourth in the district and they overcame, overachieved, and that’s what this is about and that’s what Will’s about and that’s what Tony’s about and the whole Robinson family, and the example that they set last year gave them that motivation to do what they did and hopefully, we can continue on this year.
“The Durant School District, the entire community just absolutely poured their hearts and souls into the girls basketball team and to all of the students. We had counseling all over the school. It was amazing to see the support and everybody wants to help and it’s hard to find great ways, when everybody’s helping so much, it’s hard to find that niche in there to even help more, but the Robinson family is an inspiration to us and now, it’s time for us to give back to them again. So, it’s just a beautiful ceremony and a beautiful gymnasium, beautiful name and we’re real excited about it.”
The second annual Clara’s Run will be May 7 at George Washington Elementary School to honor her, and Southeastern has scholarships in honor of Will and Clara.
“We’re going to make sure that we keep their memory alive and what they’re about,” Moring said.
