Longtime USC Los Angeles Rams head coach John Robinson dies at age 89

On By Littum

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

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

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

Robinson died in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, due to complications from pneumonia. He was 89.

Robinson first took over at USC in 1976 after spending time as an assistant with the Trojans and with both Oregon and the Oakland Raiders. He spent a total of 12 years at the helm at USC, leading it to a national championship during the 1978 campaign. He compiled a 104-35-4 record during his two stints leading the Trojans, which has him as the program’s third-winningest coach 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 watch.

Robinson left USC after the 1982 campaign to make the jump to the NFL, taking over as Los Angeles Rams head coach for Ray Malavasi. He went 75-68 over 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 picked up his 80th career win.

After his second run at USC, from 1993-97, Robinson also served as UNLV’s head coach from 1999-2004. He went 28-42 there and reached a single bowl game in his six seasons with the Rebels. He also worked briefly as the school’s athletic director.

After his retirement from coaching, Robinson served as a national college football analyst, worked as a development officer in USC’s athletic department and worked as a consultant for the LSU football team with former coach Ed Orgeron. He was with the program when it won the national championship in the 2019 season.

Robinson was inducted into both 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 the big thing is that when you get a job, you enjoy it. You always think, ‘God, I could have done that better.’ But you know you have to be happy with what you did. I just enjoyed the players immensely and there were so many good ones.”