SPOKANE, Wash. – On Sept. 16, Coeur d’Alene resident and native Aaron Robb drowned in Lake Coeur d’Alene, leaving a hole in the Inland Northwest community.
At around 4 p.m., Kootenai County Sheriff’s Marine Deputies, Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police and the Worley Fire Department responded to the Blackrock Marina to find Robb, who was pulled out of the water before first responders arrived. Robb was airlifted to Kootenai Health, where, despite lifesaving efforts, he was pronounced dead.
Robb made his mark on the football field in the 1980s, commuting daily from Coeur d’Alene to play for Gonzaga Prep in Spokane. As a running back and defensive back, Robb helped the Bullpups win the Washington State Championship in 1982.
He then went to play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, an active member of their 1988 undefeated championship team.
Robb was later inducted into the Gonzaga Prep Hall of Fame, leaving a mark on the program to this day.
“We assign jersey numbers based on what’s in my own mind,” current Gonzaga Prep head coach David McKenna, who was a freshman at G-Prep when Robb was a senior, said. “25 is always a number that stood out to me. Guys that have played in our program that have worn 25, there’s a reason they’ve worn that jersey. There’s a reason in my eyes because I grew up watching him and idolizing him and that’s still true today. 25 is one of those numbers and that’s because of Aaron.”
Robb returned to the inland northwest after Notre Dame, owning and operating the Iron Horse Bar in downtown Coeur d’Alene, a business that has been in his family for over 50 years.
