HISTORY
Mr. Robbins Neighborhood (MRN) was established in 2014 by 12-year NFL veteran Fred Robbins and his wife, Tia. The organization’s foundation is rooted in the couple’s passion to provide guidance and mentorship to young athletes on their life journeys.
Fred was born and raised in Pensacola, Florida, a city that is well-known for producing tremendous professional talents across the sports spectrum, such as Emmitt Smith, Derrick Brooks, Doug Baldwin, Reggie Evans, Roy Jones Jr. and Bubba Watson. However, upon returning home after retirement, Fred and Tia recognized that for every success story there were many more stories of young, talented athletes that had their dreams derailed. It became apparent that for many aspiring youth in the area, all hope for the future was hinged solely on becoming a professional athlete. The athletes weren’t developing a backup plan or gaining a deeper perspective of success because their dreams, goals and academia were never developed beyond their sports dreams.
Mr. and Mrs. Robbins saw this as an opportunity to use
their knowledge for navigating the sports industry to help
youth develop the business prowess necessary for success
on and off the field, and thus founded Mr. Robbins
Neighborhood. The MRN program is rooted in the effort to
broaden the landscape of what inspiration, dreams, and
goals can look like for the youth of Pensacola. MRN
supports athletes in the achievement of their full athletic
potential, while also educating them on the intricacies of a career in professional sports.
The founding program of MRN, The Game Plan, is a three-day career and football development camp which hosted its inaugural session in the summer of 2014. After identifying the need for this type of all-encompassing program, Fred and Tia decided to address the greater need for continued services beyond the camp which propelled MRN to become its own 501c3 non-profit organization in 2015. This move will help MRN sustain growth and support for high school athletes in the Pensacola region for years to come.
WHAT DOES SUCCESS MEAN TO US?
It means we have empowered a young athlete to realize his or her potential not only on the playing field, but also in the classroom and in the world at large. Mr. Robbins Neighborhood hopes to inspire athletes beyond their physical attributes and provide a plan for success in the game of life. Success means all of our athletes are armed with the knowledge and skills to achieve success in sports, while also developing the life skills necessary for success outside of the sports industry.