Debate Team renames annual spirit award in honor of former member who died last fall

The Liberty University Debate Team gathered in the Grand Lobby of DeMoss Hall on Tuesday night for an annual awards banquet to celebrate the hard work and success of their current squad and to reflect on the life of Rakeem Robinson (’18), a former member who passed away unexpectedly last fall at the age of 27. They shared fond memories of him, recognized him posthumously with their Alumni Award, and renamed their Team Spirit Award in his honor.

Robinson passed away on Oct. 24 after suffering a severe seizure, which came after a history of seizures in the last few years of his life. His brother, Tonnerrious McGee, who was also a former member of the team, accepted the Alumni Award on his brother’s behalf.

Director of Debate Michael Hall said when Robinson arrived at Liberty as a freshman in 2013, he had no debate experience and was not prepared for college-level studies.

“He came to Liberty being very far behind academically; we’ve never had a student come in who was less prepared,” Hall said. “I shared with him on many occasions that, as a coaching staff, we were concerned he might not even make it past his first year of college, and he agreed that he was concerned too. Many students in his position frankly don’t (overcome) that, but Rakeem’s level of dedication, desire to graduate, and love for both Liberty and his team compelled him to do everything he could to succeed. People came alongside him to help here at Liberty, but it was really all due to his detemination to graduate.”

Before long, the trajectory of Robinson’s academic career grew exponentially as he graduated with a degree in business marketing, completed his master’s in public relations at University of Florida, and began his Ph.D. studies at Florida. (The University of Florida presented Robinson’s mother with his posthumous Ph.D. this week.)

Hall said Robinson had a heart for every teammate and coach in his four years and a warm smile that is present in every photo Hall could find of him. Robinson created “Thoughtful Thursday,” a weekly tradition in which each debater receives the name of one of their teammates and leaves them a gift or encouraging note. Thursdays were often travel days for the team, so the gesture has become a way for them to build one another up before each contest.

Robinson’s doctoral research was focused on counter narratives for minority communities regarding mental and physical health, which he pursued as part of his commitment to making space for conversations about injustice.

“He is without question one of the sweetest and most endearing students we have ever had,” Hall said before the banquet. “All of the coaches and his teammates loved him. We’ve had a lot of special students come through the program, but none as near and dear to the hearts of our faculty and members as Rakeem.”

In presenting the newly renamed Rakeem Robinson Team Spirit Award, Hall explained why Robinson is a worthy embodiment of the award’s purpose.

“The team spirit award is a peer award … for the person who represents what you would want to see in a Liberty debater, the ideal Liberty debater,” Hall said, “This award goes to debaters who work hard, love debate, love their teammates, and intentionally look for opportunities to encourage other people. Of all of the awards we give out on an annual basis, this is the award that best represents Rakeem Robinson.”

The first recipient of the Rakeem Robinson Team Spirit Award was freshman Michela Short.

The 2022-23 Debate Team has continued to blaze a trail of success this spring, finishing first in American Debate Association rankings and third in Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) rankings. During the season, Liberty won 52 team awards and 59 individual speaker awards, won six tournament divisions, qualified two teams to the national tournament (one reached the elimination round), and qualified two teams to the elimination rounds of CEDA nationals (one reached the Sweet 16).