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Longtime USC, Los Angeles Rams head coach John Robinson dies at 89

Robinson was the winningest head coach in Rams history up until last month

ryan young
Staff writer
·3 min read
57
Former Rams coach John Robinson, seen here at Candlestick Park in 1991, died on Monday. He was 89.
Former Rams coach John Robinson, seen here at Candlestick Park in 1991, died on Monday. He was 89. (David Madison/Getty Images)

Longtime USC and Los Angeles Rams head coach John Robinson died on Monday, both the university and franchise confirmed.

Robinson died in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, due to complications from pneumonia. He was 89.

Robinson first took over at USC in 1976 after spending time as an assistant with the Trojans and at both Oregon and with the Oakland Raiders. He spent 12 total years at the helm at USC and led it to a national championship during the 1978 campaign. He compiled a 104-35-4 record during his two stints leading the Trojans, which has him as the third-winningest coach in program history. He led the team to five Pac-10 championships and he went 4-0 in the Rose Bowl. Charles White and Marcus Allen each won the Heisman Trophy under his watch.

Robinson left USC after the 1982 campaign to make the jump to the NFL, where he took over as the Los Angeles Rams’ head coach for Ray Malavasi. He went 75-68 over his nine seasons with the Rams and reached the NFC championship game twice. He was fired after the 1991 campaign, which marked his second straight losing season.

His 79 total wins with the organization were the most by a single head coach in team history up until last month, when current head coach Sean McVay picked up his 80th career win.

After his second run at USC, from 1993-97, Robinson also served as UNLV’s head coach from 1999-2004. He went 28-42 there and reached a single bowl game in his six seasons with the Rebels. He also briefly worked as the school's athletic director.

Following his retirement from coaching, Robinson served as a national college football analyst, worked as a development officer with the USC athletic department and worked as a consultant with the LSU football team with former coach Ed Orgeron. He was with the program when it won the national championship in the 2019 season.

Robinson was inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame and the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.

“I enjoyed it,” Robinson told the Los Angeles Times when asked earlier this year how he wanted to be remembered. “And I think that’s the big thing, that when you get a job you enjoy it. You always think, ‘God, I could have done that better.’ But, you know, you have to be satisfied with what you did. I enjoyed the players just tremendously, and there were so many good ones."