There’s a massive football community in Los Angeles. There has been for a long time. Football in Los Angeles saw a resurgence in popularity in the 60s and 70s as old-school Angelinos can still recall the days of John McKay’s USC Trojans and Chuck Knox’s Los Angeles Rams. The mighty Trojans, spearheaded by players like Sam “Bam” Cunningham, Lynn Swann and former Rams QB Pat Haden, lit up scoreboards on Saturday nights while Knox’s “Ground Chuck” rushing attack drove the Rams straight into the playoffs on Sundays.
While fans were delighted by the successes of the time, John Robinson, a little-known assistant from Daly City, Calif., was building his own football foundation. Robinson spent the 1960s watching McKay construct a dynasty from the opposing sidelines. As a member of the then-Athletic Association of Western Universities, which is commonly known now as the Pac-12 conference, Robinson was an assistant at Oregon during the decade that brought USC back to national recognition.
However, it was McKay who recognized Robinson’s talents, bringing him to LA to serve as USC’s offensive coordinator from 1972-1974. During that time, Robinson inspired a new generation of Angelinos by winning the then-Pac-8 conference all three seasons and capturing national titles in 1972 and 1974. Robinson departed for a job with the Raiders in 1975 and after McKay took over the expansion Buccaneers in 1976, USC brought Robinson back – but this time as head coach.
Robinson was USC’s head coach from 1976-1982 where he won three conference titles and the 1978 National Championship. After Ray Malavasi’s dismissal at the end of the 1982 NFL season, owner Rams owner Georgia Frontiere hired Robinson, ushering in the longest run of success in Los Angeles that the team and city had ever seen until the 2017 hiring of Sean McVay.
Robinson wasted no time getting to work. He helped organize the selections of Eric Dickerson and Henry Ellard with his first two picks, issuing a prolific offensive attack that captivated Southern California. Already a known winner, the pressure was on and Robinson came through. From 1983-1989, Robinson had six winning seasons, six playoff appearances, five double-digit win seasons, four playoff wins and the Rams took two trips to the NFC Championship Game.
During that time, Hall of Fame players like Dickerson, Kevin Greene, Jackie Slater and Jack Youngblood played for Robinson.
Things for Robinson and the Rams spiraled after their loss in the 1990 NFC Championship Game and the team would win only eight total games over the next two years leading to Robinson’s dismissal. However, his nine seasons as head coach remain the most in team history.
During his time with the Rams, Robinson’s teams had three 1,000-yard rushers in Dickerson, Charles White and Greg Bell. Dickerson also set the single-season rushing record in 1984. Wide receiver Flipper Anderson set the record for most receiving yards in a game in 1989. Jim Everett was the NFL passing touchdowns leader in 1988 and 1989 and as of writing, Robinson’s 75 regular season victories remain the most in franchise history – one more than McVay’s 74.
After the Rams, Robinson returned to his old role at USC, guiding the Trojans to two more conference titles in five years, capturing victory in the 1996 Rose Bowl. During his second stint, Robinson coached Hall of Famers Willie McGinest, Tony Boselli and first overall pick Keyshawn Johnson. Robinson has a 4-0 record in Rose Bowl games as head coach, totaling six victories in “the granddaddy of them all.”
Robinson would go on to become the head coach at UNLV where former USC Trojan and Compton native Jason Thomas would transfer to, bringing their West Coast experience to the Vegas Valley. Both of them achieved victory in the 2000 Las Vegas Bowl, the UNLV Rebels’ last bowl win.
Robinson would go on to be a consultant at LSU after he and his wife moved to Baton Rouge to be closer to family during the 2010s. At the age of 84, he captured his fourth and final national title with the 2019 Tigers. Despite his age, Robinson was at LSU’s football facility daily, oftentimes being one of the first to arrive.
And that was what John Robinson’s life was all about. Finding the fun in things through hard work. In his journey throughout life, Robinson befriended champions like John Madden and Ed Orgeron long before they were lifting trophies.
He mentored boys on the football field and watched as they became men on the gridiron. He tried things, he succeeded at some, failed at others and kept trying until his final breath. He was human and his humanity immortalizes his life by those whom he touched and by the places he served.
He is an indelible icon in Los Angeles. A beam that built the USC dynasty. A pillar of the golden age of Rams football. The man who made my alma mater, UNLV, relevant even for just a beautifully brief moment.
Robinson passed away at the age of 89 on Monday. He may be gone but he will not be forgotten. The images of him in his sweater vest are sown into the minds of Angelinos forever just as they are in the hearts of the players he led into battle.