Hall of Fame Inductee
Britt Robinson
Britt Robinson of Tahoka, Tex. began shooting at age 10. Twenty-six years later, he became the youngest to be inducted into the Trapshooting Hall of Fame. By then he had captured three Doubles, one All-Around and three High-Over-All championships at the Grand American and placed on eight All-America open first teams, earning captain’s or co-captain’s honors five times.
He set two records while earning 10 Trap and Field All-Around Average Awards, and when he led handicap and doubles averages in 1970, he was the first to top both those lists since 1933. He was the initial person to win the Doubles Championship at the Grand twice with 100 straight and the first to break two, three, four, five and six perfect scores in Grand twin competition. He set a long-run handicap record from the 27, tied the high mark for doubles marathons twice, and shot on two record-setting singles squads. He captured 12 Texas ATA titles in 25 years, including seven after leaving junior ranks.
In 1959, his first year of ATA competition, Britt was Sub-Junior Clay Target Champion at the Grand American, and he repeated for the crown the next two years, setting a consecutive record. In 1961 he was also high Class A junior in the Class Championships plus junior runnerup in the Champion of Champions. The next year he earned the 26-yard trophy for life members in the Grand American Handicap. Robinson was Tuesday’s Special Doubles winner at the 1967 Grand after a 99 and prelim Saturday’s doubles leader in 1968 with 100. In 1969 he won Class AA H-O-A honors, the high-gun award in prelim Sunday’s handicap, and the prelim International title with 100 plus overtime. He was AA champion in the 1970 Class Doubles.
In 1971 Britt was High-Over-All Champion, All-Around runnerup, and AA runnerup in the Doubles Championship. He repeated as H-O-A Champion the following year, after annexing the All-Around and the Doubles championships. His was the third 100 to win the Doubles crown and marked the initial time for any shooter to have two 100s in Grand twin competition. That year he was also AA runnerup in the Class twins and prelim Friday’s handicap leader. In 1973 Robinson became the first to have three 100s in doubles at the Grand, winning on prelim Saturday. He was also Friday’s singles leader and Class AA 16-yard high on Saturday.
Britt won his third High-Over-All crown in 1974, when he was also AA runnerup in the Clay Target after 200 straight as well as Trap and Field Handicap Champion and winner of the prelim International race.
The 1974 Doubles Championship was his for 100 straight, the first time in history anyone had won twice with a perfect score. He regained the crown in 1980 with 99. In 1983 he ended third in AA of the Class Doubles following a perfect century, and that set a record for six 100s in Grand competition. His fifth had come in 1980’s preliminary Saturday race.
At age 11 years and two months, Robinson was the youngest on record to break 100 straight singles (to win a Class B award at the 1959 Southwestern Zone Shoot). The record stood for 22 years. He set a handicap long-run mark of 244 in 1973, and he matched record scores of 971x1,000 in doubles marathons twice, in 1969 and 1970.
Robinson broke 200 on a record-setting singles squad of 997x 1,000 in 1971, at the Phoenix Chain, and two years later he broke 200 in the Dayton Homecoming as his squad tied the Grand American record of 996. Britt earned a berth on first-string All-America teams from 1969 through 1976, being captain alone in 1973 and 1974 and sharing the top spot in 1971, 1972 and 1975. He was captain of the sub-junior team in 1960, 1962 and 1963, and he also placed on the team in 1961. He was on the 1966 junior team and the 1968 men’s second team.
He led yearly handicap averages in 1970 and 1971 plus headed doubles standings the former year, becoming the second in history to head handicap and doubles in the same year. Ten Trap and Field All-Around Average Awards include junior high in 1961 and 1962 and open leader in 1969, 1970, 1972 and 1973. He set a record with his 1972 average of .9641 and surpassed it with .9645 the following year. He also earned awards in 1971, 1974, 1975 and 1983.
Except in 1963, Britt earned every Texas ATA junior singles crown from 1961 through 1966. In 1970 he was doubles champion with a state record 99, and he successfully defended that title the next two years. He also won all-around championships in 1970, 1972 and 1975 — that last year with a record 394 — plus the singles in 1974 with 200 straight. In 1975 he was one championship short of a title sweep at Southwestern Zone, winning all but the singles.
Robinson won awards in every championship contest at the 1982 Midwestern Grand, tieing for the All-Around title with a record 395x400, and he also snared a prize in 1984’s Southern Grand Doubles Championship.
Britt had a total of three 100s from the 27-yard line and 18 100s in doubles at the end of the 1983 target year.