Tecumseh’s new head football coach: Robb has always been an ‘Indian’

Having a mother who left a Native American reservation in Northern Minnesota to begin a new life in Michigan as a young girl, Tecumseh High School’s new varsity football coach, Steve Robb, has always been an “Indian.”Robb’s mother, Iris, had a full-blooded Ojibwa-Chippewa father. His father also had some Native American background so Robb estimates he is 30- to 40-percent Native American. However, at age 60, Robb is more familiar with the ways of the city than those of his Native American ancestors and considers himself “Americanized.” “Growing up down here in Southeastern Michigan, in the rust belt, we were pretty much a product of our environment,” Robb said.He has visited the White Earth Reservation where his mother came from many times since childhood and will return there in June to visit some of his relatives so he knows full well how much many Native Americans struggle in today’s world. The poverty rate on the White Earth Reservation may be near 50 percent. The White Earth Reservation is classified as the poorest reservation in the State of Minnesota.“Pretty much up there on the reservation its a hard life, cutting wood, alcoholism is a problem, health care is a problem,” said Robb. “You see the lifestyle of people living on the reservation and it’s tough.”Robb said that despite living under difficult circumstances on a reservation his mother’s tribe is proud of its heritage. Some do not like being associated with sports as school names and mascots. Others do not mind. He, personally, does not have a problem with it.“My relatives are pretty adamant now about calling themselves Natives, but they don’t get mad or anything about the use of the word Indian,” said Robb. “It’s funny, the people who actually live that life don’t care. I think it’s political.”Years ago, the American Indian Movement (AIM) arrived at Milan to discuss the use of the Big Reds’ Native American Chief mascot in the school system. Robb said that he was surprised to see a “shirt-tail” relation from his tribe there as one of the group’s leaders at Milan asking questions.“He was one of the leaders,” said Robb. “It was pretty interesting that he came in there and I was teaching and coaching there. Just in general, I think that the use of Native American words and symbols as mascots, I think its honoring Native Americans. I think it’s honoring their history in the fact that they were brave warriors fighting for freedom and all of those good things that the Native Americans did. And that’s the way that I choose to look at it. I think most Native American’s choose to look at it that way.”The Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) filed a complaint in 2013 with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, asking the federal agency to issue an order prohibiting the continued use American Indian mascots, names, nicknames, slogans, chants and/or imagery. MDCR’s complaint asserted that new research clearly established that use of American Indian imagery negatively impacts student learning, creating an unequal learning environment in violation of Article VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.The U.S. Department of Education dismissed the MDCR complaint. According to the Department of Education, the MDCR did not provide sufficient evidence that any “racial discrimination has occurred or is occurring” as a result of the mascots.“From my standpoint, in Tecumseh — Tecumseh was a great warrior who fought to free his people,” said Robb. “What can be more honorable than that? That’s why America is America. That’s what we did in World War I and World War II and every place else. So, there are a lot of common areas there. It doesn’t bother me and it doesn’t bother any of my relatives, that I know of.”~— ROBB IS RETIRED BUT CONTINUES COACHING HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL —Robb retired after 33 years as a physical education and Social Studies teacher. He was at Milan for 26 years and did a couple of stints at Divine Child High School that totaled another seven years.He resides in Canton with his wife, Ann, and son, Joey, a high school freshman. His daughter Kylie is a freshman at Aquinas College.In addition to his duties as the Indians’ head varsity football coach, Robb works with the Canton Parks and Recreation Department. “I kept coaching football,” Said Robb of his retirement. “I was coaching at New Boston Huron last year as an assistant. I kind of got the itch to be a head coach again. And, this job opened up. To be honest with you, it was just too good to turn down.”The coach he’s replacing, Al Romano, inquired as to his interest in the position. The two Hall of Fame coaches have been friends for “quite some time.”“He had heard that I might be snooping around for a job and he called me and said I might be a good fit,” said Robb. “We have a little bit different styles. He’s more of an offensive genius, creative type guy, and I’m more of a physical, lets-get-after-it type coach. I believe that defense wins championships. Offense sells the tickets.”Robb said that while Romano might start building a program on the offensive side of the ball he would start on the defensive side.“Which works well here because he already has the offense pretty well in place,” Robb said. “I enjoy a more physical style of play. I’m not quite the spread offense basketball on grass type of guy yet. I seem to be morphing more into that type of thing, learning how to run the stuff I like out of the spread style. And that’s what we’re going to try to do here.” Robb doesn’t see a lot of major changing needing to be made his first year, saying that the staff that Romano left in place is “excellent.” “I’ve met them all and we’ve talked at length. I like them all and think they’re talented,” Robb said.One of the Indians assistants, Matt Hession, played for Robb at Milan and assistant Aaron Huck’s brother coached for Robb there too. He’s also familiar with Al Schmidt who he coached against when he was a quarterback in high school.“There’s some familiarity with those guys and it just feels comfortable,” said Robb.The new Tecumseh coach may incorporate a couple assistants that he’s worked with in the past.Robb doesn’t have a timeline of things he wants to see happen but said that Tecumseh will continue building on the success that Romano created to continue advancing into post-season play.He watched the Indians back in 1991 advance to the regional semifinal and said from what he sees now there is no reason that Tecumseh can’t get back to that level.“You can say that winning a state championship is your goal, it’s extremely difficult, but I’d like to compete for the division championship on a yearly level, I’d like to be in state playoffs on a yearly level,” Robb said. “It’s my experience that the public schools in Michigan, if you have a good football program you can pop up every, maybe, three or four years and make a run. It’s really difficult at public schools to do it every year.” One thing that parents can expect Robb to produce is a respectful young adult who commits to being a better person on and off the football field.“The biggest thing to me, the most enjoyable thing for me in coaching is building the relationships with the young people and watching them improve, grow and move on in life to whatever careers they have,” said Robb.The coaches Robb had as a youth inspired him to do what they did and inspire others.“They influenced me greatly and I would like to think that I can do that with the kids here in Tecumseh, and the kids that I’ve coached at other places,” said Robb.