For the last three years, Drew Robinson has been a mainstay on Bulldog sports teams.

On February 8, the All-State, South All-Star and 2001 state championship receiver fulfilled a lifelong dream.

He signed his name on a letter of intent to play college football for the West Texas A&M Buffaloes and will now be a part of something he has grown quite accustomed to — a championship atmosphere.

Although in his first year as head coach, Ronny Jones has already won over Canyon, Texas and supporters of Buffalo football.

It didn’t take him long to win over Robinson either.

Robinson was touted by a number of Div.1 and 2 schools – such as New Mexico State, Wyoming and Eastern New Mexico University in Portales — but he said the decision to become a Buffalo was a pretty easy one.

"Coach Jones is just an awesome guy and he really wants to win a national championship," he said. "And I remember telling my dad (Rex Robinson) that whoever showed the most interest in me, I would probably pick them. I thought West Texas showed the most interest and coach Jones just reminded me a lot of coach (Cooper) Henderson. I just felt more comfortable with West Texas I guess.

In choosing the Buffaloes, Robinson decided to not even go on his recruiting trip to Wyoming and snubbed Eastern, which had also shown great interest.

"Eastern was mad, because West Texas is their biggest rival," he said. "Now I’ll be playing in the Wagon Wheel game as an enemy instead of playing for them."

Those who follow Bulldog sports are very familiar with Robinson. He started for the football team for three years and was a part of two district titles and a state title as one of the main targets in the pass-happy Bulldog offense.

He also played an integral part in two district championships and a regional title as a member of the Bulldog basketball team and helped lead the Bulldog golf team to a third-place finish at the state championships in 2001.

What was his most memorable game in his time as a Bulldog? Robinson said it was a tough choice, but that the series with the Las Cruces Bulldawgs was his favorite.

"I had a lot of success against them (Las Cruces)," he said. "I scored four touchdowns against them my junior year so that was awesome. The last two years I played my best games against them so I guess they would be my favorite games — other than the state championship."

He continued to say that the 59-35 blowout of the Bulldawgs this year in Las Cruces felt extra special because nobody gave them much of a chance at beating the two-time defending big school champs and snapping their 18-game win streak.

"We read papers all the way to Las Cruces and we were like 21-point underdogs according to a lot of sportswriters," said Robinson. "They were saying things like ‘Artesia doesn’t have a chance’ and that Cruces was ‘unbeatable.’ It made me and a lot of the guys mad. We had something to prove that night and we came out ready to play."

So what was his favorite part of being a Bulldog?

"Just being able to tell by the look on your opponents faces that they know you’re going to beat them — that they don’t have a chance," he said. "Like when your a team captain and you shake their hand before the game, you can just see it in their eyes that they know they can’t win. That’s what I’ll remember the most about playing football here."

Robinson’s talents are not just limited to his football accomplishments though.

Along with playing on the basketball and golf teams, he also is a member of the student council, the A Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, First Priority and was chosen by as his peers as Best All-Around in 2000 and 2001.

He said that although the Bulldog basketball team fell to eventual champion Kirtland in the semifinals of the state tournament last month, he was proud of his teammates and their accomplishments on the year.

"We all wish we could have a rematch with Kirtland — but that’s how it goes I guess," he said.

Robinson said that basketball was actually his "fun sport" while in high school, because he never felt a lot of pressure and always just tried to have a good time on the court.

"I’m not that great of a basketball player, so I just tried to have fun with it," he said. "I had more fun this year in basketball than ever, because the team was like a family and we had a lot of fun together. We’ll all remember going to The Pit and being one of the last four teams standing at our 10-year reunion."

As for golf, the soon-to-be four year letterman expects his team to claim the "blue trophy" at state this year.

Two weeks ago, the Bulldogs won the Great Eight tournament in Ruidoso at the famed Inn of the Mountain Gods course, and Robinson took home medalist honors — his second win in four years on the golf team.

"We have the talent win it all," he said. "With William (Miller) and Adam (Plake) and guys like Brad (Lewis), Clay (Beardemphl) and myself, we have a lot of guys who can step up and play well for us. We always have good scores to choose from and it’s going to make us tough to beat this year."

There are a number of people that Robinson said are responsible for making him the athlete and person that he is today.

"With my dad being a coach, I grew up watching and being around all the great players as they came up around here," he said. "My mom (Lisa Robinson) and dad always inspired me and believed in me and my entire family has always supported me. My granddad never even missed a practice of mine and he and my grandma already bought season tickets to watch me at Canyon."

Robinson doesn’t expect to be the only one of his parents’ sons to be a top athlete in Artesia though. In fact, he thinks his brother Barrett will be even better than he is.

"I don’t think he even knows how good he can be," said the big brother. "He loves Penn State and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up playing football there because he’s just amazing to me. I can’t wait to see what he’s gonna do when he’s in high school."