John Robinson, USC football and Rams coaching great, dead at 89

John Robinson, a USC football coaching legend who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018, has died, the school announced on Monday. He was 89.

USC said Robinson died from complications of pneumonia.

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John Robinson (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports/File)

Robinson, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, attended high school with John Madden and played at Oregon as a tight end, where he was a member of the 1958 Rose Bowl team. He got his coaching start with the Ducks as an assistant. He was with the program from 1960 to 1971.

He moved to take the offensive coordinator job at USC. He was with the Trojans for three seasons before joining the Oakland Raiders’ staff under Madden as the running backs coach. The Raiders went to the AFC Championship before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The next few years would be the most successful of Robinson’s career. From 1976 to 1997, he had two stints as the head coach at USC and of the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL.

USC offensive coordinator John Robinson, middle, quarterback Pat Haden (10) and head coach John McKay are shown during a game circa 1974. (Long Photography/USA TODAY Sports)

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He led USC to a national championship and four conference titles. He was 104-35-4 at USC. The school was 7-1 in bowl games with him at the helm. The 1978 national championship team had Marcus Allen, Anthony Munoz and Ronnie Lott among those who eventually made it to the NFL.

Robinson took over the Rams in 1983 as he replaced Ray Malavasi. He took a 2-7 team and improved it to 9-7 in his first season. He guided the Rams to the playoffs in six of his first seven seasons. The team made it to two NFC Championships but never to the Super Bowl.

He was 75-68 from 1983 to 1991.

Los Angeles Rams head coach John Robinson is shown on the sideline during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa, Fla., on Oct. 13, 1985. (Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports)

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He is survived by his wife, four children, two stepchildren and 10 grandchildren.

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