Dave Robbins is expected to step down today after 30 years as Virginia Union University's men's basketball coach.

Robbins won 713 games and three national titles at Virginia Union. He became the first white coach in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, an NCAA Division II conference for historically black colleges, when he took over the basketball program in 1978 .

Virginia Union has called a news conference for a "major announcement" today at 2 p.m. at the L. Douglas Wilder Library Lecture Hall. School officials invited the public to attend the news conference.

Repeated attempts to reach Robbins yesterday were unsuccessful. Athletic Director Michael Bailey did not return calls placed to his office. Sources told the Times-Dispatch that Robbins will retire. Robbins, who has two years remaining on his contract, has been pondering retirement for some time.

"Everyone had been encouraging me to stay," Robbins said shortly after Virginia Union was ousted in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional last month.

"[VUU administrators] were trying to tell me to stay. I went fishing to reflect. I was leaning toward retirement before the season started."

Highland Springs coach George Lancaster coached against Robbins when Robbins was at Thomas Jefferson High School. They have been friends for almost 40 years.

Robbins, he said, is in "a class by himself in the CIAA." Lancaster includes such legendary figures as Winston-Salem State coach Clarence "Big House" Gaines, North Carolina College (now N.C. Central) coach John McClendon and Norfolk State coach Ernie Fears in that statement.

"They're all in the same grouping," Lancaster said. "But I put Dave at the head of the class [because of his three national championships and winning percentage].

"There will be those who are prejudiced in their opinions and refute what I say, but on paper, they can't prove it."

Gaines is the seventh-winningest coach in all divisions (828-447, .649) and won a Division II national championship in 1967. Robbins has a winning percentage of .786.

Willard Coker, a long-time assistant at VUU, is among the leading candidates to become the Panthers' new head coach. Robbins reiterated three weeks ago that Coker is his only choice for the job but did not rule out that Bailey might consider a national search.

Said Robbins: "Coach Coker has been a long-time and loyal assistant. I don't want him to be old when he gets the job."

When contacted yesterday, Coker, an assistant for 23 years at VUU, would neither confirm nor deny that he is Robbins' likely replacement.

"I love the direction in which the program is going," Coker said. "We're like family, and we all enjoy it here. It's the kind of job that you don't look at the pay."

However, Coker said he expects Robbins to return to the university in the fall. He would not say in what capacity.

The Panthers return four starters -- including guards Brandon and Braxton Byerson -- next season. But VUU will lose All-CIAA senior forward Brad Byerson, who said Robbins' apparent retirement comes as no surprise.

"We all had an idea he was retiring," Brad Byerson said. "It was just a matter of when he was going to do it."

Robbins, who had the longest tenure among CIAA coaches, became the 26th coach in NCAA men's basketball history in any division to reach the 700-win plateau last season. He's the fifth coach in Division II to reach that mark.

Robbins' retirement would complete an overhaul of the basketball and football programs, the university's two revenue-producing sports. Arrington Jones III abruptly resigned on March 26, citing personal reasons. He was replaced by defensive coordinator Gregory Richardson.

Staff writer Tim Pearrell contributed to this report.