Merrill Roberston to serve as Master of Ceremonies for Sports Hall of Fame

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Fork Union Military Academy announces that Merrill Robertson has accepted the school's invitation to serve as Master of Ceremonies for the FUMA Sports Hall of Fame Induction banquet on June 18, 2009. Being inducted into the FUMA Sports Hall of Fame will be Vinny Testaverde, Roman Oben, Shammond Williams, and Coach "Red" Pulliam. A two-sport star, playing both basketball and football at L. C. Byrd High School in Richmond, Virginia, Merrill Robertson came to Fork Union Military Academy as a postgraduate for the 1998-99 school year. An All-State, All-District, and Metro Defensive Player of the Year for L. C. Byrd, Robertson set school records on both sides of the line as a senior, clocking 124 tackles in his senior season and rushing for more than 1,000 yards as a fullback. Robertson continued his two-way play at FUMA rushing for over 2,400 yards as a fullback, catching 18 passes, and tallying 200+ tackles, 20 sacks, and 8 fumble recoveries. Numbers like that paved his way to a scholarship at the University of Virginia where he started at linebacker and was team captain in 2002. Robertson's professional playing career (with the Eagles and Vikings in the NFL, and the Dallas Desperadoes in the AFL) was cut short by injuries, but Robertson has put his college degree to good use, now working as a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management where his clients include a number of active NFL players and FUMA alumni. Robertson often returns to the FUMA campus, most recently as the featured speaker at the Walter J. Payne Greater Issues Forum where he spoke to cadets and members of the community on the topic of "Youth and the Changing Economy." Robertson is stepping in to replace Eddie George who had previously agreed to serve as Master of Ceremonies for this event. Unfortunately, a recent change in the school schedule at the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago, where Eddie is pursuing his MBA, made it impossible for him to arrive in time to host this event. The Academy released Eddie from this commitment so he could continue with his academic studies, and is pleased to have found an outstanding replacement in Merrill Robertson.