The Unlikely Candidate

The search committee liked that Robinson said he could win in spite of the facilities, and they were taken with his life story. "We were also aware of his family ties [to Obama], but that really didn't factor into it," De Carolis says. "You wouldn't pick a coach based on that." But the connection probably won't hurt Robinson when he cozies up to recruits and their parents. "Every job [involves] sales," Robinson says. "The biggest part of coaching is recruiting, and that is being able to sell yourself, your school and your program."

At a campaign rally in Albany, Ore., a few weeks ago, Robinson sold the idea of Obama as the next president, introducing him to the large crowd that included several Oregon State players. Robinson plans to campaign for Obama into November. "The campaign is really important, and [the Oregon State job] is really important," he says. "I think I'm capable of doing both. My brother-in-law and my sister never ask me to do anything that jeopardizes my job." Recently, Robinson and his second wife, Kelly, began discussing the possibility that Robinson's 16-year-old son, Avery, and 12-year-old daughter, Leslie, will come under Secret Service protection as Obama campaigns for president. "It's not something you like to think about, but there is a concern there," he says.

Robinson enjoys talking politics, but it is when he discusses his plans for the Beavers and his belief that he can turn around the program that he sounds most like his brother-in-law. He acknowledges that Obama's oratorical skills have rubbed off on him, particularly the candidate's tendency to frame challenges as opportunities.

"When they offered me the job, I thought, You could get here and flop, and it's the last college coaching job you'll get," Robinson says. "But I had to fall back on something my father always said: 'You were good at this and this and this, what makes you think you won't be good at that?' If you think of it that way, you can't come up with a reason why you can't succeed. If you are used to thinking positively, all you can think about is how to make it work. All I can think about is what I can do to make this program better."

Forgive Oregon State fans for having the audacity to hope.