John Robinson Dies at 89; Former NFL, CFB HC Won 1978 National Title with USC

John Robinson, who is one of the most notable figures in the history of USC football, died Monday at the age of 89.

USC announced he died due to complications from pneumonia.

Robinson was the head coach of the Trojans for two different stints, with the first coming from 1976 through 1982 and the second coming from 1993 through 1997. His crowning moment with the program came when he led USC to the national championship during the 1978 campaign.

"I think the thing that I'll remember about Coach Robinson is that the bar was very, very high in terms of expectations, and he was right in the middle of it," said Paul McDonald, who was the quarterback of that championship team, per Bruce Feldman of The Athletic. "He wasn't one of these guys who stood in the tower. He was in the middle of the action, demonstrating how to block, how to tackle, how to move.

"He really loved the physicality of the game. That's what he was drawn to, and because of that, we were an incredibly physical team. He instilled this whole philosophy of wearing the other guys down, and that was really smart, because you don't win games with flash. You win games with punching people in the mouth."

While the 1978 team won the championship, his 1979 team featured four Pro Football Hall of Famers in Anthony Muñoz, Ronnie Lott, Marcus Allen and Bruce Matthews.

In all, Robinson went 104-35-4 with the Trojans and led the program to consistent excellence. Only John McKay and Howard Jones have more wins in program history, and he also took home five Pac-10 championships and four Rose Bowl titles.

He didn't lose in any of his four Rose Bowl appearances with USC and was elected into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 2004 as a result. He was also inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009 and won the Pac-10 Coach of the Year twice and National Coach of the Year once.

While Robinson is most closely associated with USC, he played at Oregon and helped lead the Ducks to the Rose Bowl during the 1958 campaign. After his collegiate career finished, he became Oregon's offensive coordinator in 1960 and remained on the staff for 12 years before going to USC.

He eventually coached at the NFL level as well as an assistant with the Oakland Raiders in 1975 before he was the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams for nine seasons from 1983 through 1991.

Those Rams teams went a combined 75-68 and advanced to the NFC Championship Game during the 1985 and 1989 seasons.

Robinson wasn't done with the collegiate game and led UNLV from 1999 to 2004 as the head coach before he helped guide the 2019 LSU Tigers to the national championship as a senior consultant.

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