This collection consists of photographs of Darrell "Pinky" Robison and other ski racers in the 1950s though the 1980s.
The
Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library's
Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.
Gift of Darrell Robison and Mary Bennett (his widow) in 2015 and 2019.
Processed by Martha Quinn in 1999.
Audio-visual materials were transferred to the Darrell Robison audio-visual collection (A0529), his papers are located in the Manuscripts Division (ACCN 1662).
This collection forms part of the Utah Ski and Snowboard Archive, which is part of the S.J. Quinney Outdoor Recreation Archive
The storylines of the ski racing career of Darrell "Pinky" Robison (1931-2002) range from working odd jobs in exchange for free skiing to being a fierce and determined competitor, winning on local, collegiate, national and international levels.
He moved from Peoria, Illinois to Salt Lake City at age 12 and quickly fell in love with skiing, hauling supplies to Alta's Watson Shelter to earn a pass. Robison won the Harriman Cup downhill at Sun Valley in 1951, the Snow Cup at Alta in 1953 and the slalom in the Pan American Games in Bariloche, Argentina in 1954.
The pinnacle of his career came in 1952 when the U.S. Olympian finished 22nd in the Games in Oslo, Norway. While his racing triumphs are numerous, it was a race in 1951 at Sun Valley he didn't win that will forever underscore his legacy. While at the start gate, the University of Utah Ski Team sophomore felt a waist band button on his ski togs give way. Unable to delay the start, he took off, and when he reached the finish line his red long johns were totally exposed. Undaunted, Robison finished seventh and won the slalom the next day to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team.
A protégé and close friend of Jack "Red Dog" Reddish, Darrell was anointed "Pink Dog" to showcase his place among the elite skiers of the era.
Darrell "Pinky" Robison was posthumously inducted into the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame in 2019, this biography was used for that event.
1: Jimmy Griffith, a skier on the U.S. National Team and was named to the Olympic squad in November 1951 and was preparing to go to the 1952 Olympics when he died in a training accident at Alta ski area on December 2, 1951. He died 4 days later at the age of 22