2009 All Star
Robert Strong
Defensive Back
6’ 185 lbs.
High School Coach: Rick Bye
High School, Class: Sterling Heights Stevenson
College: University of Dayton
Robert began playing football in seventh grade for Heritage Junior High. He immediately developed an intense passion for the game. He was called up as a freshman to the varsity team and was on varsity as a sophomore as well. He was a starter at safety his junior year and recorded one interception and 65 tackles. As a senior he was the team captain and started at safety and wide receiver. He returned two punts for touchdowns, had seventy-five tackles, and had eight interceptions, which put him second in school history with nine career interceptions. His teammates voted him MVP on defense and Most Dedicated. Robert was King Titan, the award in the spring for the top-testing off-season player.
Robert also wrestled his freshman year and ran varsity track for the last three years where he was All State in the long jump, and went to the State Meet in hurdles and 4xl00m relay. He was an active member in his church youth group and is on the leadership team, the Worship Hand, and was a member of the missionary team that went to Honduras in 2006. He was a member of National Honor Society and attended the Utica Center for Math, Science and Technology where he had a 3.87 GPA and an ACT score of 31. Robert will attend the University of Dayton as one of thirty Berry Scholars and will continue his playing career at the collegiate level.
Robert thanked, “God, first, for giving me the ability to play the game and my parents and brother for supporting me in everything I do.” He thanked his grandpa for teaching him about “all of the old-time great players and for the love of the game.” Robert also thanked his coaches and his teammates, “for the amazing journey that these past five years have held. “These are times and life lessons I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I could not have asked to play for or with a greater group of friends and brothers.”
Awards
All Macomb Area Conference – Red Academic, 2005-2008
All MAC – Red 1st Team Defence, 2008
All Macomb County 1st Team Defense, Macomb Daily, 2008
All East 1st Team Defense, Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, 2008
Academic All State Honorable Mention, 2008