Tag: Anthony Munoz

Former USC players react to John Robinson’s death

Marcus Allen, Ronnie Lott, Anthony Munoz, and the other great players John Robinson coached at USC reacted to the legendary coach’s death at age 89.

On Monday, legendary USC football head coach John Robinson passed away at the age of 89. Upon learning of the news, several of Robinson’s former USC players chimed in with their memories of the coach.

1981 Heisman Trophy Winner and Pro Football Hall of Famer Marcus Allen

“Words are inadequate for a person that has impacted your life in such a way; you can’t even describe it. The impact John had on his players, particularly myself, is so deep and profound. Knowing him was life-changing.

He was a great man and a great coach. I love him so much. He was one of the greatest teachers, motivators and psychologists of all-time. Everything we were on the field was a reflection of him.

John Robinson is one of the greatest Trojans ever. I always wanted to go to USC, and my time there was better than I could’ve ever imagined – and he made it special.

It’s a sad day, but it’s also a day of celebration of a great man.”

All-America Safety and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott

“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. 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. This is a sad day for all of the Trojans that played for him, but it’s a great day for God that He has one of the best coaches ever right by his side.”

All-America Quarterback Paul McDonald

“It’s a sad day for the Trojan Family, a legend is gone and he will be missed. I remember my first team meeting under Coach Robinson during training camp. He wrote our goals on the board: ‘Beat UCLA, Beat Notre Dame, Win the Rose Bowl, Win a National Championship.’ My initial reaction was, ‘Whoa, the bar is very high here!’

Coach Robinson was very demanding, but in a human way. 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.”

Pro Football Hall of Famer Anthony Muñoz

“When I think about John Robinson, I think about the impact he had on us, not only as football players but as individuals. I think about the things I learned at USC: how to prepare and how to compete. Those are things you need not just in football, but also in life. Those are true life lessons that were taught to us under John Robinson.”

All-America Wide Receiver Keyshawn Johnson

“Rip Coach!

If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to live the Dream I’ve been living 🙏🏾

#FightOnForever”

Current USC Head Coach Lincoln Riley

“It’s a tough day. One of the greatest things at our university and our football program is honoring all of the greats that have come before – the coaches, the players and everyone that has made this place special. Days like this are especially tough, but we can remember all the memories and incredible accomplishments that Coach Robinson was a part of here at USC. From our entire football family, we want to offer his family condolences and let them know that we appreciate Coach, and he will forever be a huge part of USC football.”

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USC Hall of Fame lineman Anthony Munoz addresses numerous football topics

Anthony Munoz was asked about a lot of different football subjects. See what he had to say.

Hall of Fame offensive tackle Anthony Munoz, a USC legend, was in attendance front and center for the 2024 NFL U.S. Flag Championship in Canton (Ohio) and shared a lot with reporters over the weekend. The NFL Flag Football Championships are showcasing youth talent from across the country and offering a chance for fans to get involved. Flag football is growing quickly, according to the NFL, as it is played now by over 20 million people. It is also gaining global recognition, as it will be represented in the 2028 Olympic Games for the first time.

Munoz had this to say about the growth of the sport:

“Flag football has become a global sport,” he said. “It allows people to access the game who maybe can’t afford helmets, shoulder pads, [or] the time that it takes to put into the game.”

Anthony Munoz also believes that former offensive tackle and Bengals legend Willie Anderson’s time will come sooner rather than later to get into the Hall of Fame.

“I think he’ll get in at some point. There is momentum building for him. There should be momentum building for him,” Munoz said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com.

He talked about his work in the Cincinnati area with the Anthony Muñoz Foundation awarding high school seniors locally.

“I think a lot of what we do at the Foundation stems from my upbringing and the things I’ve gone through. Being raised by a single mom — we didn’t have a whole lot, but we worked hard and were lucky enough to have people in our community who believed in us.” Muñoz said in a statement. “So, being able to honor young men and women that are choosing positive paths and achieving despite the adversity in their way; that’s what we want to do. Partners like Mike’s Carwash and the Cincinnati Bengals who believe in our mission and support these kids dreams, it’s what allows such a huge impact to be made.”

Munoz is one of the greatest linemen of all time. The two-time All-America lineman (1978-1979) from USC was the third player selected in the 1980 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Munoz was considered by many to be the premier offensive tackle during his 13 seasons of play. He started 164 of 168 games from 1980 to 1990.

Anthony was elected to 11 consecutive Pro Bowls and was named All-Pro 11 consecutive times from 1981 through 1991. He was named the NFL Offensive Lineman of the Year in 1981, 1987, and 1988 and the NFL Players Association Lineman of the Year in 1981, 1985, 1988, and 1989.

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Bengals legends love idea of throwback helmet for new jerseys

Two legends seem to agree with fans on the topic of Bengals jerseys.

Two Cincinnati Bengals legends are on board with the idea of throwback uniforms for the team on the current players.

Anthony Muñoz and Ken Anderson recently took to social media to comment on a custom design that mocked-up a third Bengals alternate helmet to go with throwback uniforms.

The idea stems from the revelation that the NFL has changed the alternate helmet rules once again, this time permitting the use of a third helmet design.

If the Bengals were going to use a third helmet design in 2025, they needed to notify the NFL by May 1. So far, no word on that.

For now, Bengals fans will just need to settle for two legends certainly liking the idea:

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Bengals HOF tackle Munoz likes Washington OT Troy Fautanu

Anthony Munoz reveals which OT he likes for the Bengals in the draft.

The Cincinnati Bengals are currently in need of a right tackle since Jonah Williams is about to be a free agent, but with the draft coming up late next month, there are a lot of options available they could take in the first round.

One of those players is Washington’s Troy Fautanu, who could still be available when the No. 18 pick comes around. A former Bengals Hall of Fame offensive tackle likes what he sees in Fautanu according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com.

Here’s what Anthony Munoz, who played in the Pac-8, said about the Pac-12 tackle:

“There’s not a lot of respect for the Pac 12, but the left tackle for Washington is pretty impressive,” said Munoz, who has his weight exactly right. “Since they were in the playoffs, I saw a lot of him. Impressive. I watched his workout and they had him at 317 pounds and he was moving pretty well. The guy from Oregon State is also excellent.”

Fautanu had an impressive showing at the scouting combine with a 5.01 time in the 40 and a 1.71 time in the 10-yard split, a top-10 time.

If he is available when the Bengals pick comes up, the Bengals will certainly have their eyes on him.

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Bengals Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz ‘amazed’ by Joe Burrow

Anthony Munoz with a fun interview about Joe Burrow.

Even during the week of the Super Bowl, the Cincinnati Bengals and their quarterback Joe Burrow are fresh on the minds of people.

Bengals Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz was very complimentary of the franchise quarterback on CBS Sports on Feb. 7.

“Every part of his game, I just sit there and I’m amazed,” Munoz said. “I go to every home game when he’s playing. The way the guys fight for him. You hear guys talk about him. They love him, they love playing for him.”

It’s nothing new to hear about Burrow, but even after a year in which he started off slow and had to sit much of the season because of wrist surgery, he is still getting recognition as a great player.

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Bengals Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz to provide items for auction

Bengals legend Anthony Munoz gets involved in a good cause.

When Super Bowl LVIII comes around, the National Football League Auction and Hunt Auctions will work together to host the 17th annual Super Bowl Live Auction Event on Feb. 10, 2024.

Cincinnati Bengals Hall of famer Anthony Munoz will provide some items from his collection for the auction.

“The memories I have from my time within the NFL as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals are something I will never forget,” Munoz said in a release. “Bengals fans and the city of Cincinnati have been there for me both during my career and after to which I will always be grateful. My time spent at USC and the relationships developed with alumni and fans alike are equally meaningful to me. The Super Bowl seemed like an ideal place to share a few items from my personal collection with the fans and to contribute to NFL Auction charities.”

Some of the items that will be included are a Munoz final game Bengals uniform, a 1980s jersey of his, a 1980s Howie Long Oakland Raiders helmet, a Munoz game-used Pro Bowl jersey and a Ronnie Lott San Francisco 49ers helmet.

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Pac-12 goodbye tour: Remembering USC football’s unbeaten 1979 season

#USC finished No. 2 in the 1979 season, the third time in four seasons under John Robinson that USC was a top-two team.

We have written a lot at Trojans Wire about the 1980 Rose Bowl between USC and Ohio State. It is one of the great games in USC football history. It featured one of the greatest drives in USC football history. It was the centerpiece game for one of the greatest football players USC has ever produced.

It also has a great backstory, as we noted earlier this year:

“When you listen to Anthony Munoz talk about the 1980 NFL draft with Tim Prangley and Rick Anaya on Trojan Conquest Live, you can tell he wasn’t absolutely convinced he was going to be a top-five pick or even a first-round pick. The injuries were a concern. Munoz was intent on doing whatever he could to prove to an NFL team that he could contribute. That’s not how a top-five pick would think about his place on the draft board. He really didn’t know what was about to happen at that draft.

“Why did Munoz go at No. 3 in that draft, despite his injury-marred run at USC? It’s very simple: Paul Brown, who won a national championship as the head coach at Ohio State nearly four decades earlier, was at the 1980 Rose Bowl in which Munoz and USC played against the top-ranked Buckeyes.”

The 1980 Rose Bowl capped an unbeaten season at USC. The Trojans weren’t perfect, but no one beat them. They finished No. 2 in the polls, marking the third time in four seasons they were a top-two team in the nation.

Relive the 1979 USC season as part of our Pac-12 football goodbye tour:

The astounding, incredible fact about Anthony Munoz at the 1980 NFL draft

Munoz told @TrojanConquests and @LBCTrojan something that seems virtually impossible to believe, 43 years later. #NFLDraft

Yes, it’s true that Anthony Munoz had multiple knee injuries in his playing career at USC. Munoz did not play full seasons for a majority of his collegiate career, missing multiple games against Notre Dame and also missing the Rose Bowl Game before finally playing in the Granddaddy in his Trojan finale in 1980 against Ohio State. It was reasonable for NFL teams to worry about Munoz and have reservations about his status as an NFL prospect heading into the 1980 NFL draft. There’s nothing wrong with that.

However, if any NFL team had reservations about Munoz’s health and durability, wasn’t the obvious solution to work out the offensive lineman and directly see what he was — and wasn’t — capable of?

Munoz shared some amazing stories with Tim Prangley and Rick Anaya at Trojan Conquest Live in early June. Munoz participated in a workout conducted by the Cincinnati Bengals and head coach Forrest Gregg, who was himself an all-time-great offensive lineman and therefore someone who knew what Munoz could do for the Bengals if he was physically up to the task.

The Bengals were smart enough to work out Munoz.

Guess what? No other NFL team did.

That’s right: Not one other NFL team held a workout for Anthony Munoz, to see up close if his body was ready for the rigors of the NFL.

The New York Jets picked at No. 2 in the 1980 NFL draft. They took a receiver from Texas, Lam Jones, who never made even one Pro Bowl and was a complete bust. Imagine if the Jets had worked out Anthony Munoz and saw what the Bengals saw. They might have picked Munoz at No. 2 instead of allowing him to fall to No. 3, where Cincinnati stepped in and took him.

That’s why the Jets are the Jets … and that’s why the Bengals, with Munoz, made two Super Bowls in the 1980s.

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Anthony Munoz shares epic story of legendary lineman Forrest Gregg

Anthony Munoz told tons of great stories to @TrojanConquests and @LBCTrojan, but this one involving Forrest Gregg might be the best. #Bengals

We mentioned on Sunday that one coaching change had a profoundly positive effect on Anthony Munoz’s NFL career and, by extension, his life trajectory. NFL Hall of Fame offensive lineman Forrest Gregg was hired as the new head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals heading into the 1980 NFL season. This was before the 1980 NFL draft in which the Bengals took Munoz with the No. 3 pick and changed their fortunes in the 1980s with two Super Bowl appearances. A great offensive lineman recognized the value of drafting a talented offensive line prospect.

Munoz, on the Trojan Conquest Live show with Tim Prangley and Rick Anaya, told an amazing, all-time anecdote about the workout Forrest Gregg conducted with Munoz. Gregg flew out to Los Angeles to visit Munoz and hold the workout on Munoz’s home turf. Munoz was eager to prove that he was ready to be a great NFL offensive lineman and give the Bengals the best player they ever had.

At the 45-minute mark of the show, Munoz relates the story of how he knocked Forrest Gregg to the ground. It sounds horrifying and disastrous, but the story had a very happy ending … for Munoz, for Gregg, and the Bengals, who drafted one of the best players in NFL history and made two Super Bowls as a result.

Trojan Conquest Live airs Sundays during the summer at 9 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. Pacific, at The Voice of College Football.

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One central reason Anthony Munoz found an NFL home with the Bengals

Munoz told @TrojanConquests and @LBCTrojan that a coaching change made a defining difference in his NFL career.

The Cincinnati Bengals, in 1980, were still led by Paul Brown, the team’s owner and founder. Before the football legend died in 1991, he was still the lead decision-maker for the organization. To a considerable extent, Brown can be viewed as the main reason the Bengals picked Anthony Munoz with the No. 3 selection in the 1980 NFL draft, a move which changed Munoz’s life and the Bengals’ trajectory as a franchise.

Yet, Brown’s selection of Munoz didn’t happen on an island. Brown made two coaching changes before the 1980 season which smoothed the path for Munoz. One was the hire of offensive line coach Jim McNally. The more central and important of those two changes was the decision to release head coach Homer Rice and hire Forrest Gregg, who had coached the Cleveland Browns for three seasons and had spent 1979 coaching in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts.

If you don’t know who Forrest Gregg was before he became the coach of the Bengals, here’s the essential, central fact about the man: Gregg was part of the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line on the dynastic Vince Lombardi teams of the 1960s. Gregg was as good an offensive lineman as the NFL had seen at the time. He was a legend of the game when the Bengals hired him as head coach, even though he had not registered a top-tier coaching achievement.

Notably, Munoz became the man who enabled Gregg to achieve richly as an NFL coach. It was Munoz who transformed the Bengals into a Super Bowl-caliber team in 1981. Veteran quarterback Ken Anderson needed an elite lineman and pass protector to distribute the ball to elite receivers such as Isaac Curtis and Cris Collinsworth.

The main point to emphasize is that Gregg’s background as an offensive lineman enabled him to see and appreciate the value and importance of picking Munoz.

Watch Munoz tell this and related stories in his one-hour interview with Tim Prangley and Rick Anaya at Trojan Conquest Live. The USC YouTube show airs Sundays at 9 p.m. Eastern and 6 p.m. Pacific this summer.

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