About Us

Coach Robert Newman is a 1971 graduate of Hamilton High School.  After graduating from Hamilton, he furthered his education at Tennessee State University for one semester, but later transferred to LeMoyne-Owen College where he received his Bachelor of Science Degree (with Honors).  He also earned a master's degree in Athletics Administration from Memphis State University.  He is a Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated, the Memphian Club, LeMoyne-Owen College Alumni and Hamilton High Alumni.  

Coach Newman achieved notoriety for his athletic prowess while at Hamilton, LeMoyne-Owen College and as a former teacher and coach in legacy Memphis City Schools.  He was named to the All-City, All-Metro, All-District, All-Regional and All-State teams as a player in high school. In college at LOC, he was named to the All-Conference (VSAC) and the All-NCAA tournament teams.  He played on the 1971 Hamilton High City Championship team under the leadership of Coaches Lloyd Williams and Roosevelt Hancock, the first in the history of the school.  Robert also played on the LeMoyne-Owen 1975 NCAA Division III National Basketball Championship team (the first and only Tennessee men’s collegiate team to win an NCAA championship from any division and the only HBCU team to win the Division III championship). Robert was named the most valuable player in that championship game.  

His coaching career began at Hillcrest High School, where he was the boys’ head coach.  He later coached at Melrose High School as both the boys and girls head coach and at his alma mater, Hamilton High School as the girls’ head coach.  During his coaching career, he won more than thirty-five championships which included league, district, region, sub-state, state and the MLK tournament from 1976-2014.  He received the Commercial Appeal Best of the Preps AAA Coach of the Year Award, three times, District Coach of the Year for Memphis and Shelby County, thirteen times, and the State of Tennessee Coach of the Year once.  

Robert began his professional career in 1976 as a Physical Education Instructor/Head Coach at Hillcrest High where he became passionate about teaching and leading children. He later taught and coached at Melrose and Hamilton High Schools in various roles.  He retired after thirty-nine years of proud service with MCS. However, by no means has he retired from serving the needy of the Greater Memphis Community.  Year after year, Robert finds a way to support needy communities of families, including our precious children.  For thirty-three years, Robert has sponsored and directed the Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Invitational Basketball Tournament in our great city.  He inherited the leadership of this tournament during the time when the original founders/coaches of the tournament were retiring.  The tournament originally started with only eight inner-city high schools.  The tournament has since grown to more than seventy teams, which includes middle and high school boys and girls.  Robert felt the need and heart to continue an opportunity for inner-city students to showcase their academic and athletic talents.  With the support of the City and County Commissioners, community leaders and people of goodwill, Robert has been able to put on a first-class tournament with invites to teams from across the United States. For the last twelve years, ten to twenty qualified seniors of the tournament have been recognized for their academic excellence by receiving a five-hundred-dollar scholarship.  Not only does Robert lend his leadership to the tournament, but he also helps the needy by assisting with rent or mortgage payments, utilities and groceries.  Robert assists many students in our local schools with clothes closets, personal clothing, and school supplies.  He goes beyond just providing these basic items to providing athletic uniforms for Melrose, Hamilton, Mitchell, Kirby, Raleigh-Egypt, Middle College, and many others.  

As a leader, coach and mentor, it is Robert’s philosophy to lend a hand wherever it is needed for those in need.  Robert has a heart of gold and is very generous in helping where he can.