Joe Burrow once said, “I’m just unapologetically myself, and I think that’s a good thing and people respect that.” Carson Robbins may have never uttered those exact words but to those who knew him that’s how he lived life. He was simply unapologetically Carson.

Carson was just 17 years old, a week shy of turning 18, when he died last April after a brief seizure condition. The Tippecanoe senior made a big impact on almost everyone who met him but especially his teammates on the football field. Carson was a starting safety for the Tippecanoe High School football team. The team had ended the 2022 football season on a high note, winning their first-ever regional title in the school’s history. No one had any idea of the tragedy that would unfold just four months later.

“Carson was the teammate who wanted to have fun but knew when it was time to get down to business, it was time to get down to business,” teammate Maddox Sivon said.

Those who knew Carson said he was popular, funny, and a leader on the field. Head football coach Matt Burgbacher explains why.

“It was that infectious personality, it was so positive, and you could be going through some adversities, you could be going through some struggles, and even during the good times, you could always count on Carson to make light of the situation. And everything wasn’t as bad as it seemed,” Burgbacher said.

Anyone who has ever played for a team knows how close you can become with your teammates but for Maddox, it went deeper than that. He considered Carson his older brother. The two had known each other since they were small children when Carson’s mother babysat him and his siblings.

“He had the greatest personality you could ask for. He was always there for people. He helped me with everything,” Maddox said. “He was so nice to people, and he always came out and supported every sporting event Tipp had. I swear he was at every event you could be at.”

It was at one such event last February that he found out Carson had been hospitalized.

Carson’s mom Carrie Robbins explained that her nightmare started on Friday, February 10, 2023, when Carson began texting her messages from school that made no sense. She took him to Dayton Children’s Hospital where hours later he had his first seizure.

“Early that Saturday morning was when he had his second seizure and then they couldn’t get them to stop and that’s when they put him in a medically induced coma, and he never woke up,” Carrie said.

Carson died on April 14, 2023.

Up to that point Carson had been a healthy and typical teenager. His mom says he had no history of epilepsy and after his death doctors told his family that his condition was probably triggered by an ordinary virus.

Maddox says one thing that brings him solace was being able to visit Carson in the hospital before he passed. And now a year later those who were close to Carson still look out for one another.

“We always keep an eye out on each other so a few of us communicate when things are tough,” Maddox said.

Maddox, who was a year behind Carson, said they were so close he even promised Carson at the end of the 2022 football season that he’d look out for Carson’s little brother, Jackson. He had no idea just how prophetic that promise would be.

“The last thing I really remember saying to Carson was after our long run and we had just lost, and I told Carson I would take care of Jackson like how you took care of me. At that time, I was thinking that meaning was something totally else, like I was going to take care of him for football because I still had him for another year. It took on a whole new meaning after April,” Maddox explained.

Jackson Robbins is now a sophomore at Tippecanoe High School. He takes after Carson in so many ways. He’s also a football player, his position is also safety, and he also wears the number 8 jersey.

“Jackson wanted to wear number 8 and obviously that was going to be completely up to him because that’s the jersey that Carson wore. Those two boys are very similar, and I caught myself a couple of times calling him Carson,” coach Burgbacher said.

And just like Carson, Jackson is gearing up to be a force on the football field.

“I got to play with Jackson a few times and just remembering with him playing and all the practices we had it got a little emotional,” Maddox said.

“It was great coaching Jackson this year and he’s going to be a very good player for us, and we’re excited for him,” coach Burgbacher said.

The number 8 jersey took on even more meaning after Carson’s death. Burgbacher says the kids were on a mission to honor Carson. They ended up raising enough money to buy alternate jerseys now coined “Carson’s jersey.” They are black with a number 8 memorial patch sewn on.

“It is just very sad, it was a little heartbreaking for me on the first game to put that on and to have the 8 patch to remember him as much as possible that game,” Maddox said.

Burgbacher views it a little differently.

“You just see the number 8 and it just brightens your day. I actually have one of those number 8 patches in my car sitting right on my dash so when I’m driving, I see it. And everyone has challenges in life and adversity but when I jump in my car and the first thing I see is that number 8. It just puts a smile on my face,” Burgbacher said.

They were only supposed to wear that jersey once last season but ended up wearing it four times. The team also raised money to put up a plaque in Carson’s honor. It is situated right outside the Roundhouse at Tipp City Park where the football team plays.

“The Roundhouse is where all the football players end up walking out so when we walk out, we see his plaque and then a big rock with the number 8 on it,” Maddox said.

Maddox’s favorite memory of Carson was from the regional final game. Carson had several interceptions, a blocked field goal, and some big plays to help clinch the win.

“I always think about the regional finals when we won that. Just going into the locker room, we were all excited and we just hugged for like a minute. We had talked about that growing up and we were just so happy for each other,” Maddox said.

While coach Burgbacher says that was a great moment, especially because no one thought they had a chance at winning, his favorite memory of Carson was from a heartbreaking loss.

“One memory I’m always going to keep with me. Week 5 we’re playing at Xenia. Two undefeated teams, probably 6-7 thousand people at the game. It was just an awesome atmosphere, and we gave up a touchdown with less than a minute left in the game for them to win the game,” coach Burgbacher said. “Carson was around that play where it happened. We had a great conversation after the game. And it was his reaction that made the biggest impression on me. Yes, was he disappointed, was he upset, yes, he certainly was, but he didn’t let that define who he was. I just think the way he responded and the way he came back, boom, 10 weeks later he’s getting a couple interceptions and a blocked field goal at the regional final game.”

Looking back now a year after Carson’s death, coach Burgbacher says while he’s faced several obstacles as a coach nothing could prepare him for this. Despite his grief he was mostly worried about his team.

“There’s no book that is going to tell you how to handle every situation and the best thing you can do is just with experience. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. When this happened, I did reach out to a couple of coaches who had gone through this and got some advice from them. Because it was tough,” Burgbacher said. “We had to be there for the kids, and it was even important for us adults to talk just to be around each other and share those stories of Carson.”

Off the field Carson loved watching football and playing the Madden NFL video game. It might come as no surprise his favorite NFL team was the Bengals. His family and friends say he liked quarterback Joe Burrow and running back Joe Mixon. But what might be a surprise was that he hated Ohio State. We all know it is hard to live in Ohio and root for Michigan. But his family and friends say that was just Carson being Carson.

“He tended to root for Michigan, but I really think more to annoy the Buckeye fans,” said Carson’s mother, Carrie Robbins.

“I think it was just how everyone acted, he always just fit outside of it,” Maddox said. “With his friends he would push so many buttons and he would try to get under your skin.”

Carson was well-known for his jokester and playful side. Coach Burgbacher says that’s the part of Carson he misses most. Those quick one-liners and the banter.

“I look at that as a good thing. That is a good thing to have. But that contributes to his personality. That was Carson Robbins,” Burgbacher said with a laugh. “He never ever crossed the line. He never went too far with that.”

So, to borrow from Joe Burrow: Carson was just unapologetically Carson. And people respected that.

Becky Gulden is the news director at Dayton 24/7 Now and a regular contributor to the Tippecanoe Gazette.