Nicholas Robinson enters his 14th year as director of athletic communications at John Brown University, where he serves as the primary media contact for all 13 Golden Eagle athletic programs.
Hired as John Brown's first full-time communications professional in the summer of 2012, Robinson oversees the live broadcasts of home athletic events, serves as the official statistician, promotes teams and student-athletes on social media, assists with gameday management, produces gameday programs and materials, and acts as lead designer and content creator for JBUathletics.com – which was honored in 2022 with a first-place NAIA-SIDA award.
Twice, in 2019 and 2024, Robinson has been honored by his colleagues as the Sooner Athletic's Sports Information Director of the Year.
Robinson is a member of both College Sports Communicators (CSC) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Sports Information Directors Association (NAIA-SIDA). Over the past three seasons, he has earned four first-place finishes in the annual NAIA-SIDA Publications and Media Contests, with more than eight top-10 finishes in various categories throughout his career. In 2015, he received a regional CoSIDA honor for his postgame recap of the 2014 Toilet Paper Game and the accompanying highlight video, produced by University Communications, as part of the Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest.
During his tenure in Siloam Springs, Robinson has served as media coordinator for several major events, most recently the 2023-24 NAIA National Women’s Basketball Championships Opening Rounds. In 2023 and 2021, he handled media coordination for the NAIA National Women’s Soccer Championships Opening Rounds, as well as the 2021 and 2022 NAIA National Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships. Prior to that, Robinson coordinated media for the 2019 NAIA Men’s and Women’s Tennis Unaffiliated Group Regional Championships, and from 2018 to 2020, he oversaw the NAIA National Women’s Soccer Championships Opening Rounds. His earliest coordinator role came in 2018 for the Sooner Athletic Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament.
In 2020, Robinson spearheaded the award-winning third iteration of JBUathletics.com, in partnership with SIDEARM Sports, serving as lead designer and content creator. The new website provided a more comprehensive approach to Golden Eagle athletics for fans, parents, players, and media. The original JBUathletics.com was launched in 2013, moving the athletic department’s online presence away from the university's main website.
To unify the department's social media presence, Robinson launched the #goJBU Social Media Network, integrating Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Periscope to provide an inside look into the athletic department. Since 2012, the official Facebook page has grown from 400 to over 5,400 likes, and the official ?? account has also seen growth, increasing from 300 to more than 2,500 followers. Robinson introduced Instagram to the department’s social media strategy in 2013, and by 2025, the platform boasted over 3,400 followers. The #goJBU hashtag, created in 2012, has experienced significant success, and in 2016, Robinson launched the #OnwardSoar campaign, inspired by the official Golden Eagle Fight Song.
In 2013, Robinson’s efforts with CBS led to the legendary #goJBU Toilet Paper Game being featured in the CBS special "Fandemonium", which aired prior to the 2013 NCAA Final Four. The Toilet Paper Game received additional national attention in 2014 on ESPN's Olbermann a nightly show hosted by Keith Olbermann, and in 2015, it was covered by ESPN the Magazine in an article titled "Making a Mess on Purpose".
Robinson began his sports information career at Davenport University (Mich.) in 2010, assisting with graphic design, social media, and website initiatives, while serving as the primary media contact for the men’s hockey program. During his time there, the team won the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division I national championship, defeating Lindenwood University (Mo.) in overtime, 3-2.
After a year at Davenport, Robinson was hired as the assistant sports information director at Graceland University (Iowa), where he served as the primary media contact for the men's and women's volleyball programs and the secondary contact for 17 other Yellowjacket athletic programs. That year, three Graceland teams advanced to NAIA National Championship events: the women's soccer team secured an upset win at Concordia University (Calif.), the track and field team competed at Indiana Wesleyan University, and the men's volleyball team participated in the National Invitational Tournament at St. Ambrose University (Iowa).
As a student-athlete, Robinson played men’s hockey at Calvin University (Mich.), where he was a three-time Michigan Collegiate Hockey Conference All-Star and finished his career among the program’s top-15 scoring leaders. From 2005 to 2009, he helped his team reach three national tournament appearances, including a national semifinal as a freshman. He also won the MCHC’s fastest skater competition.
A native of Clinton Township, Mich., Robinson earned a Bachelor of Arts in business communications from Calvin in 2009, and graduated summa cum laude with a Master of Science in sport management, with a concentration in intercollegiate athletic administration, from Pennsylvania Western University.
Robinson resides in Siloam Springs with his dog, Henry.
