John Alexander Robinson, a USC football coach from 1976 to 1997, died on November 11 from complications of pneumonia in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Robinson was a successful football coach for the USC Trojans and the Los Angeles Rams. Robinson won 74.1% of his games while compiling a 104-35-4 record at USC. He had a 75-68 record with the Rams.
Before being the head coach for the Trojans, Robinson was USC’s offensive coordinator in the 1973 and 1975 Rose Bowl games, winning both.
Robinson first coached at USC from 1976 to 1982, and then again from 1993 to 1997. He guided the Trojans to five conference titles. Robinson never had a losing record with USC, according to the Associated Press.
As a coach, Robinson led the Trojans to four victories in 1977, 1979, 1980 and 1996 in the Rose Bowl games, making him one of the most successful head coaches in Rose Bowl history. In the 1978 season, the Trojans won a national championship. Robinson also earned five Pac-10 titles.
In 1976 and 1978, Robinson was named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year. In 1979, Robinson received the National Coach of the Year award. In 2009, Robinson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
“Coach Robinson was one of the greatest college coaches ever, and his love for USC and his love for the game of football was second to none,” said Ronnie Lott, an All-American safety at USC. “I’ve always felt that while playing for him, he gave us the ability to feel like we were larger than life. And his commitment to making sure that we had more than just football in our lives was so superior.”
“Coach Robinson was very demanding, but in a human way,” said Paul McDonald, a quarterback at USC in 1979. “He had great interpersonal skills, and he knew how to connect with people. He made you want to play hard for him and to run through walls. You cared for him because he cared so much for you.”
Robinson played tight end on Oregon’s 1958 Rose Bowl championship team after starting his coaching career with the Oregon Ducks.
Robinson was born in Chicago on July 25, 1935. While in elementary school, he moved to the Bay Area, where he met his lifelong friend John Madden, the legendary NFL coach and broadcaster. They shared the same love and passion for football and coaching, leading to each man’s successful career.