{"id":32597,"date":"2026-06-06T13:51:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T17:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nhvweb.net\/nhhs\/home\/?p=32597"},"modified":"2026-06-06T13:51:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T17:51:56","slug":"celebrating-a-fallen-lion-dave-the-rave-robbins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nhvweb.net\/nhhs\/home\/celebrating-a-fallen-lion-dave-the-rave-robbins\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating a Fallen Lion, Dave &#8220;The Rave&#8221; Robbins"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The North Hunterdon High School community and the town of Clinton mourn the passing of a true legend. Yesterday, our most cherished <\/span><b>Fallen Lion<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, David &#8220;Dave the Rave&#8221; Robbins, left the physical &#8220;Jungle&#8221; he so passionately cheered for, leaving behind an indelible legacy of pure joy, unyielding sportsmanship, and unparalleled school spirit.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nhvweb.net\/nhhs\/home\/files\/2026\/06\/Dave-The-Rave-A.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"283\" height=\"225\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For over half a century, Dave was not just a spectator; he was the beating heart of the Pride. He taught generations of Lions what it truly means to run with the pack\u2014supporting our athletes fiercely, regardless of whether the scoreboard showed a win or a loss.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dave\u2019s journey as a cornerstone of the North Hunterdon community began decades ago. A member of the graduating class of 1963, his athletic aura earned him an early nickname. Attorney George Hoerrner originally dubbed him &#8220;Gola,&#8221; after the college and NBA star Tom Gola. However, it was the moniker <\/span><span style=\"color: #008000\"><b>&#8220;Dave the Rave&#8221;<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that would echo through the decades.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Born with an intellectual disability during an era when special needs children were frequently isolated, Dave shattered barriers. Instead of standing on the margins, he became a central pillar of Clinton, fully embraced and celebrated by a community that recognized his extraordinary light.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To see Dave was to see the embodiment of Lions Pride. Donning his iconic green-and-gold cape\u2014lovingly crafted by Mrs. Florence Whittington in 1978\u2014Dave was instantly recognizable at every sporting event. He traveled far and wide by bicycle and thumb to ensure he never missed a game, becoming North Hunterdon\u2019s undisputed number one fan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">He wasn&#8217;t just known for his spirit, but for his legendary, crowd-pleasing antics:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>The Trademark Shot:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> In 1978, during a game against NH-Central, Dave tried his first over-the-head, backward halftime shot. It became his signature move, once inspiring Booster Club donations for every point scored. Over his lifetime, Dave spectacularly sank <\/span><b>over 3,200 backward basketball shots<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, once hitting nine consecutively.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>The End Zone Fixture:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> During football season, Dave was a landmark behind the end zone, holding the school record for the most extra-point footballs caught.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>A Decorated Champion<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dave\u2019s excellence extended far beyond the sidelines. He was a powerhouse athlete in his own right, mentoring students on what it meant to have the &#8220;Lions Pride&#8221;. His incredible achievements include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">NHHS Athletic Hall of Fame: Inducted in 2002 as part of the historic First Class in the &#8220;Contributor&#8221; category.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">NJ Special Olympics Hall of Fame: Inducted in December 2023, honoring his immense skill and perseverance.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Special Olympics Medalist: Earned over 88 medals across basketball, softball, bowling, track, and golf<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">National Recognition: Featured in a heartwarming national spotlight by CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=F5j1tGYuq_w\" target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"nofollow\" ><b><span style=\"color: #0000ff\">How a beloved fan at local sporting events became a pillar of this New Jersey town<\/span><\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nhvweb.net\/nhhs\/home\/files\/2026\/06\/Dave-The-Rave-B.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"207\" height=\"311\" \/>Beyond the courts, Dave was a dedicated worker, whether cutting grass around town, greeting neighbors at the old Clinton Deli, working at the Hunterdon Developmental Center canteen, or spending time at his usual fixture, <\/span><span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newjerseyhills.com\/a-piece-of-clinton-history-tony-dipietros-barber-shop\/article_9fe0139f-3c3b-5846-a804-6d25f6331d5d.html\" target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"nofollow\" ><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tony DiPietro\u2019s barber shop<\/span><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;He ensures every athlete feels seen.&#8221; Dave the Rave taught us that sportsmanship isn&#8217;t about the final score; it is about how you uplift the Pride. When his bicycle was stolen years ago before Christmas, the community rallied\u2014the girls&#8217; basketball team and friends chipping in to replace it\u2014showing just a fraction of the love Dave poured into North Hunterdon every single day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Though our Fallen Lion has left the sidelines, his roar will echo through the halls of North Hunterdon High School forever. Every time a halftime buzzer sounds, every time a football clears the crossbar, and whenever we wear the Green and Gold, we will remember the man in the cape who taught us how to dance, how to cheer, and how to love unconditionally.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rest in peace, Dave. Your watch over the Jungle is complete, but your spirit will never leave the Pride. Give our Fallen Lion a \u201cShout Out\u201d on Facebook by clicking <\/span><span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/p\/1CjF4zSw5Z\/\" target=\"_blank\"  rel=\"nofollow\" ><b>HERE<\/b><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The North Hunterdon High School community and the town of Clinton mourn the passing of a true legend. Yesterday, our most cherished Fallen Lion, David &#8220;Dave the Rave&#8221; Robbins, left the physical &#8220;Jungle&#8221; he so passionately cheered for, leaving behind an indelible legacy of pure joy, unyielding sportsmanship, and unparalleled school spirit. For over half [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":32604,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,5,1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-32597","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-north-news","8":"category-top-news","9":"category-uncategorized","10":"entry","11":"override"},"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.nhvweb.net\/nhhs\/home\/files\/2026\/06\/Dave-The-Rave-Headshot.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-15 12:50:16","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nhvweb.net\/nhhs\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nhvweb.net\/nhhs\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nhvweb.net\/nhhs\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nhvweb.net\/nhhs\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/175"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nhvweb.net\/nhhs\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32597"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nhvweb.net\/nhhs\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32597\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32603,"href":"https:\/\/www.nhvweb.net\/nhhs\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32597\/revisions\/32603"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nhvweb.net\/nhhs\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nhvweb.net\/nhhs\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nhvweb.net\/nhhs\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nhvweb.net\/nhhs\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}