He was in a car being chased by police. He got away and the police gave up. He then crashed his car. It was said that after this he shot himself.
Don Robinson (91). Larger than life character who was like a hurricane of fresh air when he became involved with Hull City. A man not to be messed with, as I personally found out when he threw me out of his office. He wanted editorial rights and a cut of the proceeds of a City fanzine of that time. I/we didn't agree. He said I don't listen, and in hindsight, he was probably right. I used to write to him in the days people still wrote letters and to surprise my phone rang one Friday night at home and it was Don Robinson himself, no BS this, he asked for my opinions on various things Hull City. This happened for about three Friday nights on the trot, once he asked me who I would pick at left full back. I suggested Neil Thompson, a Hull lad playing for Scarboro at that time. I said he's got the best left foot in the lower leagues. Don didn't agree, and argued the point, said he'd 'never be more than a third or fourth division player'. Thompson signed for Ipswich a couple of weeks later for £100k. He later persuaded ex Liverpool and England captain Emlyn Hughes to play for us! Robinson could talk for England and he talked Hull City up at every opportunity, I liked him and he was just what the club needed at the time. He brought the club fame and success and put us back on the football map. He invited me down to the ground to meet him on another occasion. I went and he showed me behind the scenes of the stadium, including the huge washing machines housed under the South Stand which were leaking and he said 'Can you fix those'? I did eventually fix the fence between the railway platform and the back of the East Stand, for free. He also asked me to get involved with the Supporters Club and get them to raise more money for the club, I forget the details now but it was a job offer, full time, and when I asked what he was paying he answered, straight faced 'I thought you were a fan'? I turned his kind offer to work for free for the club down. I had three kids and a mortgage, he was a millionaire. He was an expert at getting people to work for the club for nothing. Robinson wanted to own the club outright and the parting of the ways came when he realised that was never going to happen as the all important 'non voting shares' all belonged to Chris Needler. He eventually resigned from the Board and gave his shares away to supporters. I never got any. The nearest he got to getting City into the First Division and playing on the Moon was a fifth place finish in the old 2nd Division under Brian Horton, a man he wrongly sacked the following season Never a dull moment when Don Robinson was the chairman of Hull City and he will go down in history as a man who left his mark on the club, he had a real go, and for that I thank him. RIP Don Robinson. UTT.
A sad loss but a very good innings. He was certainly a character and very good for the club at that particular time.
