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John Robinson, longtime head coach of the Los Angeles Rams and USC, dies at 89
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John Robinson, longtime head coach of the Los Angeles Rams and USC, dies at 89

Former Rams coach John Robinson, seen here at Candlestick Park in 1991, died Monday. He was 89 years old.

Former Rams coach John Robinson, seen here at Candlestick Park in 1991, died Monday. He was 89 years old. (David Madison/Getty Images) (David Madison via Getty Images)

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

Robinson died in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, from pneumonia. He was 89 years old.

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

Robinson left USC after the 1982 campaign to move to the NFL, where he succeeded Ray Malavasi as head coach of the Los Angeles Rams. He went 75-68 in 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 until last month, when current head coach Sean McVay earned his 80th win in career.

After his second appearance at USC, from 1993 to 1997, Robinson also served as head coach at UNLV from 1999 to 2004. He went 28-42 there and reached just one bowl game during his six seasons with the Rebels. He also briefly worked as the school’s athletic director.

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

Robinson was inducted into 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 most important thing: When you get a job, you enjoy it. You always think, “Gosh, I could have done better.” » But you know, you have to be satisfied with what you did. I really enjoyed the players, and there were so many good ones.”