Certainly, Memphis State University (now University of Memphis) had its fair share of great golfers. Among such Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame inductees as Mason Rudolf and Lou Graham stands Hillman Robbins, a superb golfer who led Memphis State to its first individual NCAA championship. That happened in 1954 when Robbins won the NCAA golf tournament. The honor was the only NCAA championship for MSU until 1973 when two Tiger track stars won individual titles. In fact, during Robbins shining year of 1954, he won eleven tournaments, still a University of Memphis record. Throughout his stint at MSU, Robbins was absolute gold, as he won over thirty collegiate and amateur tournaments. Among the tournaments won were the Southern Intercollegiate, Tennessee Intercollegiate, National Amateur, North-South Amateur, and twice the Southeastern PGA. Robbins also won three Memphis city titles, the Colonial Invitational five times, and the Tournament of Champions in Pennsylvania. An All-Air Force and All-Service champion, it is safe to say that Robbins was a star wherever he played. He had the honor of competing in three Masters and three U.S. Opens and was a member of the Walker Cup team in 1957. Now deceased, Hillman Robbins will always be remembered as one of the greatest golfers to ever walk the halls of Memphis State University.
