Local Coach Named Distinguished Alumnus

Sugar Grove – Like all good things, education is best and most useful when it is shared with others. Waubonsee Community College alumnus Robin Renner, of Aurora, has taken what he has learned and shares it with others on a daily basis as a physical education teacher and head varsity baseball coach at Neuqua Valley High School. Because of this service to his students and the community, Waubonsee has named Renner as the college’s 2008 Distinguished Alumnus.

Education is now the main focus of Renner’s life, but it wasn’t always that way. In fact, he didn’t plan on attending college at all following his graduation from East Aurora High School, despite his mother’s advice that he continue on at Waubonsee. Sadly, Renner’s mother died from cancer when he was a high school senior, and so he decided to honor her memory by enrolling at the college.

“I’m so happy she encouraged me to continue my education,” Renner said of his mother. “Waubonsee was two of the best years of my life; I loved it.”

Renner not only studied hard at Waubonsee, he also played hard as the starting shortstop for the college’s baseball team in 1977 and 1978. He remains among the school’s leaders in a variety of categories, including third in career stolen bases and fourth in career walks.

After graduating from Waubonsee in 1978 with an associate degree, Renner went on to play baseball at Aurora College, now Aurora University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education. Renner did not use that degree right away, however, as he already had a different type of sports-related career up and running.

Renner’s father had always been a horse racing fan and had friends in the business, so when Renner needed a summer job during high school, he landed one grooming horses at the Aurora Downs. Upon his graduation from Aurora College, Renner turned horses into a full-time career, working as a trainer, driver and owner of an eight-horse stable. His horses raced at tracks like Quad City Downs, Sportsman’s Park, Hawthorne Race Course and Maywood Park. But after more than 10 years in the business, Renner was ready for a change.

“The industry started going in the wrong direction with off-track betting and such,” Renner said. “I wanted to find something else to do.” Renner’s wife, Diane, pointed out that he had gone to school to become a teacher, and maybe now was the right time to pursue the profession.

But teaching is a highly regulated and ever-changing field. “They changed the rules on me,” Renner joked. And so, to meet some new teaching certification requirements, Renner once again enrolled at Waubonsee, taking courses in religion, government and English.

After getting the certification requirements out of the way, Renner continued his schooling, going on to earn his master’s degree in physical education from Chicago State University in 1996. That was also the year he was named the first varsity baseball head coach for Neuqua Valley High School.

In his decade-long career at the school, his teams have won 65 percent of their games. Last year, Renner’s team won the Illinois High School Association Class AA State Baseball Championship, and he was named the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Coach of the Year. But Renner doesn’t give himself the credit for his teams’ successes.

“I think the key is the families and the quality kids I work with,” Renner said. “They work hard, and their education and extracurricular activities are important to them. I’m fortunate to have these types of kids in my program.”

Renner realizes that some children are not as fortunate, and he has spent the past 11 years bringing baseball to them. It started in the mid- 1990s, when Renner’s brother got him involved as a coach at a camp called “Opportunity Through Baseball.” Based at Regis University in Denver, Colo., the camp is geared toward inner-city children. “It was amazing to see the changes in these kids after just three weeks,” Renner said. “There was such a change in their attitude, their behavior and their baseball talent.”

Wanting to create that kind of positive change for local youth, Renner approached the Neuqua Valley baseball players and parents about hosting a similar camp at the school. The weeklong camp is now in its 11th year, and Renner continues to raise funds both for it and the Aurora Neighborhood Baseball League (ANBL).

Renner lives in Aurora with his wife, Diane, and his two sons, Brett and Brady. Brett is currently attending Waubonsee.

Distinguished Alumnus Award

The Distinguished Alumnus Award is administered by the Office of the President. The Distinguished Alumnus Award is an award for outstanding graduates of Waubonsee Community College. It honors a graduate who shows evidence of personal/professional support for the college, its growth, development and mission. The individual must have documented evidence of a distinguished record in their chosen profession and/or occupation; documented evidence of contributions and service to their community; and have demonstrated a continued interest in lifelong education.

Download a nomination form by clicking here.