Denard Robinson

Denard Xavier Robinson (born September 22, 1990) is an American former professional football player who is the assistant director of player personnel for the Michigan Wolverines football team.

Robinson played four seasons as a running back in the National Football League (NFL).

Robinson was born in 1990, the son of Thomas Robinson Sr. and Dorothea Robinson.

Robinson began playing pee-wee football by age 10 and played the game with his shoes untied, thus earning the nickname "Shoelace" as a child.

Those who saw him play at Westside Park in Deerfield Beach recall

"Kids would go for his shoes on tackles, and he'd come up to the huddle in just socks. His coach couldn't stand it at first and neither could his parents. They'd tie wristbands around his shoes. When that didn't work, they tried athletic tape. They even rolled his socks over his shoes. He was a marvel, and he wasn't even finished with the sixth grade."

Robinson continued to play football without tying his shoelaces and became known as "Shoelace."

One reporter who visited his family to watch a Michigan game noted, "To everyone in Deerfield Beach – everyone but his mother, that is – there is no Denard, just Shoelace."

Robinson's high school coach, Art Taylor, explained his rationale for accepting the practice

"After 25 years coaching, if the kid can throw it 90 yards in the air and is accurate and the kid can run as fast as he does ... as long as he feels comfortable, not lacing his shoes, fine with me. The kid's been doing it all his life, why mess with it?"

At the college level, his coaches at the University of Michigan also accepted Robinson's practice.

After learning that Robinson could run the 100 meters in 10.4 seconds with his shoes untied, Michigan quarterbacks coach Rod Smith called it "the damnedest thing I've ever seen" and added, "Anybody that runs that fast I'm not going to tell him how to tie his shoes."

Robinson wears Adidas Reggie2 Superfly shoes with Velcro straps to secure them to his feet.

As a ninth grader, Robinson tried out for a spot as a defensive back for the varsity football team at Deerfield Beach High School in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

The team's defensive coordinator at the time was former Buffalo Bills defensive back Manny Martin, who was also Robinson's algebra teacher.

Martin later recalled that he had an experienced defensive backfield, but Robinson "was always in my ear: 'I can do it.'" Robinson did not win a spot on the varsity team and instead played quarterback for the junior-varsity team as a ninth grader.

Robinson became the starting quarterback for the Deerfield Beach varsity team as a sophomore and filled that position for three years from 2006 to 2008.

Deerfield Beach head coach Art Taylor recalled, "As soon as he stepped on that field his sophomore year playing varsity, we knew we had something special."

In a 2007 state semifinal game played at the Orange Bowl, Robinson led his team to within two points of upsetting Miami Northwestern, the top-ranked high school team in the country.

While warming up, Robinson noticed that a Miami Northwestern lineman had taped a photograph of Robinson onto the front of his helmet.

Robinson started laughing and told the player, "You think that scares us?"

Robinson had Deerfield ahead in the game, 12–7, but Miami Northwestern completed a 99-yard touchdown drive with 18 seconds left to give them a 14–12 win.

In October 2008 against St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Robinson was responsible for six touchdowns in a single game, passing for 342 yards and five touchdowns and rushing for 54 yards and a touchdown.

As a three-year starter for Deerfield Beach, Robinson totaled nearly 6,000 yards of total offense with 4,784 passing yards (262 for 576 passing) and 1,132 rushing yards (5.2 yards per carry).

In addition, Robinson competed in track for Deerfield Beach.

In March 2009, he ran the 100 meters sprint in 10.44 seconds, and finished third in the 100-meter dash at the 2008 Florida 4A Track & Field State Championships.

Playing college football for the Wolverines, Robinson was the starting quarterback in all 26 games for the 2010 and 2011 Michigan teams and played at the same position as a senior for the 2012 team as well as running back and wide receiver in the second half of the season.

As a sophomore in 2010, Robinson set the single-season Division I FBS record for rushing yards by a quarterback and became the only player in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) history to both pass and rush for 1,500 yards.

Robinson also broke the Big Ten Conference season record with 4,272 yards of total offense (2,570 yards passing and 1,702 yards rushing) and led the conference in rushing.

In his second start at quarterback against Notre Dame, he set the Michigan single-game record with 502 yards of total offense.

He was awarded the 2010 Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Most Valuable Player in the Big Ten Conference and was selected by the Football Writers Association of America as a first-team All-American.

He also set the Big Ten single-game record for rushing yards by a quarterback and became the only player in NCAA Division I FBS history to both pass for 200 yards and rush for 200 yards in a regular season game twice.

His total offense output in 2010 (4,272 yards) and 2011 (3,348 yards) rank as the top two single-season totals in Michigan history.

He has run the 40-yard dash in 4.32 seconds, and he recorded the fastest competition time in 2010 among Michigan's sprinters in the 60-meter dash.

As a junior in 2011, Robinson led a resurgent Michigan team to an 11–2 record and a victory over Virginia Tech in the 2012 Sugar Bowl.

He threw for a career-high 338 passing yards in a come-from-behind victory over Notre Dame in the first night game played at Michigan Stadium.

At the end of the 2011 season, Robinson had eight of the top 10 single-game total offense totals in Michigan history, including 948 yards in two games against Notre Dame.

As a senior in 2012, he extended his record with a third game with both 200 yards rushing and 200 yards passing.

As a freshman and sophomore, he also competed as a sprinter for the Michigan men's track and field team.

He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.