Tampa, Fla. -- He may have traded sunshine for snowflakes, but for Robert Weiner, Tampa will always hold a special place in his heart.

“The Tampa Bay area means everything to me,” said Weiner. “I’ve been engraved in this area for such a long time.”

In Ohio, Weiner is an assistant football coaching heading into his second season at the University of Toledo. But in the Bay Area, he’s a high school football coaching legend.

“To not only be a coach but be a mentor, he dedicated his whole life to it for 20 years and the impact he’s had on players and adults in this city is huge,” said former Plant running back James Wilder Jr.

Weiner spent more than two decades coaching high school football in Tampa Bay, including 16 years as the head coach at Plant where he led the Panthers to four state championships and more than a dozen district championships.

But for Weiner, success isn’t measured by wins and losses.

“I was explaining to someone else that the legacy of Plant High School is not all our state championships, it’s not that we had the highest winning percentage of any team during that 16 year period, it’s really about how you treat people and the dynamic of caring for others.”

Weiner won a lot at Plant, but wins alone don’t get you a standing ovation like the one he got at the Pepin’s Hospitality Center on June 16.

Earlier this month, Weiner added another achievement to his impressive resume, as he was inducted into the Sports Club of Tampa Bay Hall of Fame.

“It’s really humbling and I look at that from two different angles. Just the names in the hall of fame, including some heroes and mentors of mine, Bill Minahan from the high school ranks and the professionals. For my name to be mentioned with those it blows me away. The second was the amount of people to come tonight, like I was overwhelmed by that.”

Robert Weiner may have moved on to a new chapter of his life, but Tampa Bay will always hold a special place in his heart. Not because of wins or state titles, but because of those in the community.

“Tampa Bay is about the people. I can go anywhere in the world and that’s still profoundly deeply engraved in me and I take that with me wherever I go. This community truly is a special place.”