The phone at the Robinson home in Danville, Ill. rang repeatedly Monday night. With each new call came a rise of suppressed excitement. But by the end of the night, the ringing phone became a sad reminder of hopes shattered by harsh reality.

No NFL coaches or scouts picked up a phone and dialed the Robinsons’ number during the second day of the NFL draft, contrary to their expectations. The Indianapolis Colts had talked to Stacey Robinson about selecting him as early as the fifth round. The Atlanta Falcons had also expressed interest.

But the only phone calls the Robinsons received were from friends, family and an occasional reporter.

The NFL selected 334 young men from colleges around the country this weekend. NIU’s Stacey Robinson scored more points than any of them, he had more touchdowns than any of them, he rushed for more yards than any other quarterback and he directed the top-ranked rushing offense in the country. Still, the call never came.

“They (the NFL) usually call a few rounds in advance,” Robinson said. “So by the ninth round, I was packing my clothes getting ready to go back to NIU.”

Robinson is a gifted athlete playing in a bad position for anyone with NFL aspirations. While the wishbone offense, of which Robinson was the driving force, cut opposing defenses to shreds, NFL scouts eyed less physically gifted quarterbacks who did something NIU rarely did, throw the ball.

But NFL dreams die hard, and the draft rebuke hit the 22-year- old Robinson like a blitzing linebacker. “It was a big letdown. But you can only learn from this experience and make the best of it,” said Robinson, who discovered this weekend that, “It’s not a good idea to look forward.”

Going to the NFL as a free agent is one thing Robinson is not looking forward to. He said he might explore an opportunity to continue playing football with the Saskatchewan Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League. “If push came to shove, I might wind up in the CFL,” Robinson said. “All I want is a chance.”

If an opportunity to play football that suits Robinson doesn’t arrive, he plans on coming back to NIU next year to earn his degree in criminology.

Working with kids would then become Robinson’s next goal, in particular, “communicating to younger kids who are not as privileged. There are a lot of kids, especially black kids, who won’t experience college life,” Robinson said.

During the pinnacle of his collegiate career, Robinson was being mentioned as a Heisman Trophy candidate. He now finds himself just one of the thousands of college students wondering about their future. That experience can serve him well while addressing young people who often have distorted views about pro-ball aspirations.

“The bottom line is that there’s nothing wrong with dreaming about pro-ball. But I’d try to get through to them that it’s best to have a second plan,” he said.

obinson’s second plan is to finish his education.

Getting a degree is not considered as prestigious as being drafted by the NFL and people whose job is counseling young people usually don’t make one-tenth the salary of professional athletes, but Robinson knows how to dispel any lingering sadness about not receiving the NFL’s call.

“The NFL was a big disappointment,” he said. “But for my parents, getting a degree would mean the world.”