F

red and Tia Robbins started a 
career and football development 
youth camp in 2014 called The 
Game Plan Camp where they 

had over 65 9-12th grade student-athletes 
participate from Escambia and Santa Rosa 
schools. The Robbins quickly realized a 
greater need for more ongoing services for 
the youth they were serving so their reaction 
was to establish Mr. Robbins Neighborhood 
(MRN) as a 501(c)3 non-profi t organization 
in 2015.

Pensacola is a hotbed for development of 

professional athletes. One of these is former 
Super Bowl champion and retired NFL 
defensive tackle, Fred Robbins. He began 
his 12-year football career drafted by the 
Minnesota Vikings. He went on play for 
the NY Giants and St Louis Rams until he 
retired back to his hometown of Pensacola in 
2012 with his wife and two children.  

Although Pensacola has developed several 

professional athletes, for every success story 
there are many more stories of young and 
talented athletes that have had their dreams 
derailed with no alternate plan. Less than 1% 
of high school athletes achieve a professional 
sports dream. Many of these athletes were 
not gaining a deeper perspective of success 

outside of athletics and their academic 
development was not fully cultivated. Mr. 
Robbins Neighborhood was the solution 
that Fred and Tia Robbins devised based 
on their knowledge of navigating the sports 
industry to help youth develop business 
prowess for success both on and off the fi eld. 
The organization is rooted in the effort to 
broaden the landscape of what inspiration, 
dreams, and goals can look like for the 
youth of Pensacola by providing support in 
athletics to allow them to achieve their full 
potential as an athlete and a student. Tia 
Robbins noted, “The overall vision of our 
organization is to prepare student athletes 
for future opportunities beyond sports. We 
are passionate about our work.”

Currently, MRN holds a year round 

academic and professional development 
program for student athletes called 
The Playbook, which is an extension of 
their three-day Game Plan Camp.  The 
participants receive guidance on fi ve 
foundational principles including ACT 
Test prep, college readiness tools, activities 
dedicated to academic, professional, and life 
skills development.  Jayde Herman, program 
director for MRN stated, “The organization 
has served over 125 students through both of 

our programs to date.”  She continues, “We 
have brought awareness to the community 
about the diffi culties that student-athletes 
face.  We encourage everyone to support 
MRN and to get involved by making a 
donation, attending our fundraisers, or by 
becoming a guest speaker, tutor, mentor, or 
volunteer.” Jayde further noted, “The future 
for area student-athletes looks brighter 
because of MRN and the way we have been 
supported by the community.  Future plans 
include expanding our reach and growing 
our programs to equip student-athletes with 
a game plan for success on a national level.”

Visit www.mrrobbinsneighborhood.org for more 

information, and for questions you may email 
info@mrrobbinsneighborhood.org.

story by

Greg Alexander

photos provided by

 

Mr. Robbins Neighborhood

“Won’t you be my 

neighbor --” is a line 

from the old Mr. 

Rogers Neighborhood 

theme song that has 

been taken literally 

and put to good 

use by a caring 

and philanthropic 

Pensacola husband 

and wife team -  Fred 

and Tia Robbins.

Dr. Kuni Beasley

Founder & President

Beasley College Prep

Tia Robbins, Co-Founder & Volunteer Executive Director 

and Fred Robbins, Co-Founder & President

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