John Robinson dies at 89: Ex-USC, Rams coach won 1978 national championship, produced two Heisman winners

Former USC and Los Angeles Rams coach John Robinson died on Monday at age 89 after complications from pneumonia, the school announced. 

Robinson is best known in the college ranks for guiding the Trojans to their 1978 national title. He also coached the program to five Pac-10 titles and eight bowl game appearances, including a perfect 4-0 record in the Rose Bowl, in two different stints as coach. In all, he had a 104-35-4 record during his 12-year coaching career at USC from 1976-82 and 1993-97. 

He also oversaw the development of some of the program’s all-time greats, including two Heisman Trophy winners: Charles White and Marcus Allen. Robinson’s Trojans produced 24 All-Americans and 22 first-round picks.

Robinson served as the coach of the Rams from 1983-91 between his two stints at USC. Following his second stint at USC, Robinson accepted the UNLV job, where he coached from 1999-2004.

Robinson started his coaching career as an assistant at Oregon, his alma mater, from 1960-71 before taking the offensive coordinator job at USC. He then spent one year as an assistant for the Oakland Raiders before returning to Los Angeles to begin his first of two runs with the Trojans in 1976.

Following his college coaching career, Robinson served as UNLV’s athletic director from 2002-03. He was also a football senior consultant at LSU from 2019-21.