John Robinson, known for leading the USC football team to a national title in 1978, has died at the age of 89.
University officials said Robinson died in Baton Rouge, LA, after complications with pneumonia.
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Described by the program as “one of USC’s most popular and successful football coaches,” Robinson also led the Trojans to eight bowl games, winning 74.1% of his games and earning 5 Pac-10 titles during his two stints as head coach.
Robinson earned most of his accolades during his first stint at the helm between 1976 and 1982. In his first season, Robinson earned Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors after turning the program from an 8-4 team in the 17th place in the country to an 11-1 program ranked as the second-best team in all of College Football.
After a down year in 1977, Robinson and the Trojans rebounded in 1978 to win USC’s ninth national title and the program’s last championship of the 20th century. Robinson’s 12-1 season earned him the Pac-10 Coach of the Year award for the second time.
He followed up the national title with an undefeated season in 1979, tying only Stanford in conference play. After another second-place finish in the AP poll, College Football named Robinson its National Coach of the Year.
During his two stints at USC, Robinson coached 24 All-American first-teamers, 22 NFL first-rounders, two Heisman Trophy winners in Charles White and Marcus Allen and a Lombardi Award winner in Brad Budde.
After the 1982 season, Robinson left the Trojans to become head coach of the Los Angeles Rams. Much like his college days, Robinson turned the 2-7 Rams into a winning team in his freshman year, posting a 9-7 record en route to a playoff berth.
Robinson never won the Super Bowl during his time as Rams head coach, but he led LA to the conference championship twice. In their two NFC Championship games, Robinson and his team lost to eventual Super Bowl winners, the 1985 Chicago Bears and the 1989 San Francisco 49ers.
