“The love that he has inside of his heart is great,” Danny Shannon said.  That is what Shannon remembers most about the time he spent with Robertson.

 

Robertson coached him, along with thousands of other kids in Altoona.

 

“I wanted to take the kids off the streets.  That was my whole goal and I’ve done it for a lot of kids,” Robertson said.

 

He was honored Wednesday morning.  A statue was unveiled to recognize all he has done for the community.

 

“The feeling is indescribable.  I can’t, I can’t put it into words,” Robertson added.

 

Robertson was a boxer himself.  He told WTAJ he always wanted the kids to know it wasn’t all about the fighting, 

 

“He taught us how to be a man, how to be courageous, how to be trustworthy, how to be honest,” Shannon said.  “He taught us so many things that many of us carried to later in life and all of the successes that we have we can directly attribute to Mr. Robertson’s teachings.” 

 

Former boxers that trained under Robertson, like Shannon, told us that the iconic Altoona instructor was a father figure and great mentor to them, “I saw a lot of kids that were broken and misdirected.  If they would have had someone like a John Robertson, their lives would have been completely the opposite.”

 

You can find the tribute at the Johnny Robertson Park at the corner of 7th Street and 7th Avenue in Altoona.