Lara Robinson stood on the field at Randall Reed Stadium in New Caney last Friday night, waiting to greet her husband Ty following Woodville’s thrilling 28-21 victory over Tidehaven in the Class 3A Division II semifinals. 

Few understand the challenges and heartbreak Woodville has experienced in the playoffs since Ty was named head coach in 2016, like Lara, who also serves as principal at Woodville High School. Yet, she patiently waited her turn to congratulate her husband and the players on another historic victory.

Lara knows what it takes to be a coach’s wife better than most. She watched her high school sweetheart, Ty, play for his father, Wendell, at Bremond. During her formative years, she observed how her future mother-in-law, Janie, provided a solid foundation for the entire family through the ups and downs of being the wife of a head football coach.

“There’s no successful coach without a special woman as their wife,” Robinson said. “We’ve moved from Odessa to Agua Dulce to East Texas. She understood early on what being a coach’s wife meant because she could see that in my family.”

The Robinson family has been synonymous with Texas high school football since the patriarch, Wendell, played for legendary coaches Gordon Wood, Bill Anderson, and Larry Warter at Stamford from 1956-1959. The Bulldogs won three Class 2A state titles during Wendell’s four seasons. However, Stamford’s 1959 championship was stripped after it was discovered that Wendell was living in the firehouse after his parents had moved. It was the first time the UIL stripped a school of a state title.

After playing for another legendary coach, Bud Wilkinson, at Oklahoma, Wendell embarked on his own legendary coaching career. In 2002, he was inducted into the Texas High School Hall of Honor after winning 224 games at Santa Anna, Merkel, Crosbyton, Spur, Lindale, West Rusk, Bremond, Bangs, and Gravitt, Arkansas.

“I’m very proud of my brother and my dad. I think my mom often gets overlooked. My mom was always the rock that held everything together,” Robinson said. “We made a lot of moves. I went to three schools in three years but was fortunate enough to go through high school in Bremond.”

Wendell Robinson coached two teams to state championship games. His oldest son, Bo, was a key member of the 1987 Bremond squad that played Wheeler in the Class 1A state title game in Abilene. As time expired, Bo blocked a 24-yard field goal attempt by Wheeler to potentially seal the victory for Bremond. However, he was flagged for being offside, and Wheeler made the ensuing 19-yard field goal to win the championship.

Bremond returned to the state title game in 1993, led by Ty and running back Monte Williams, who entered the championship game with 2,322 rushing yards. However, The Tigers fumbled the ball 16 times, losing two, and Sudan ran away with the state championship 54-0. “I think they dunked water on their coach after the first quarter,” Wendell recalled in a story to TheEagle.com years later.

Bo Robinson followed in his father’s footsteps and coached Bangs to the state title game in 2002 and 2003, but they lost to Corrigan-Camden and Garrison. He then coached his son, Silas, and Yoakum to the 2016 state championship game, but the Bulldogs eventually lost.

Wendell won over 200 games during his career, Bo has 211 wins and counting, and Ty surpassed the 100-win mark earlier this season. Yet, despite the tremendous success on the gridiron as coaches, a state title remains elusive for the Robinson family.

“It’s a dirty family secret,” Ty said. “We get there, but we haven’t had a lot of success in the state title game.”

Ty Robinson will lead Woodville onto the field at AT&T Stadium Thursday afternoon, hoping to secure that elusive state championship trophy. Lara will be in the stands, experiencing the stress that comes from being a coach’s wife.

“She always says it’s more stressful for her than it is for me, and I tend to agree,” Ty said. “I kind of have a hand in what’s going on, but she doesn’t. Yet she understands how the games can affect the future.”

It’s been a magical run through the playoffs for the Eagles, who had never advanced past the area round of the playoffs until this season. Ty Robinson led Woodville to seven consecutive bi-district playoff victories before losing in the second round. 

That is until this season, which has been unlike anything the school has experienced. The Eagles stormed through the first four rounds of the playoffs before Tidehaven pushed Woodville to the limit. 

Should underdog Woodville shock the state one more time and defeat Gunter to win the Class 3A DII state championship, no one will understand the journey like Lara Robinson.