John Robinson
John Robinson went 132–77–4 as a head coach, 1976–2004, at USC and UNLV. His 1978 USC team claims the national title. Share
- Record
- 132–77–4 career
- Seasons
- 18
- Schools
- 2
- National titles
- 1 claimed: 1978
- Hall of Fame
- 2009 inducted
- Best season
- 1979 11–0–1, No. 2
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | USC | 11–1 | 1st | Rose Bowl W | 2 | |
| 1977 | USC | 8–4 | T–2nd | Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl W | 13 | |
| 1978 | USC | 12–1 | 1st | Rose Bowl W | 2 | |
| 1979 | USC | 11–0–1 | 1st | Rose Bowl W | 2 | |
| 1980 | USC | 8–2–1 | 3rd | 11 | ||
| 1981 | USC | 9–3 | T–2nd | Fiesta Bowl L | 14 | |
| 1982 | USC | 8–3 | T–3rd | 15 | ||
| 1983–92: not a college head coach | ||||||
| 1993 | USC | 8–5 | T–1st | Freedom Bowl W | 25 | |
| 1994 | USC | 8–3–1 | T–2nd | Cotton Bowl W | 13 | |
| 1995 | USC | 9–2–1 | T–1st | Rose Bowl W | 12 | |
| 1996 | USC | 6–6 | T–5th | |||
| 1997 | USC | 6–5 | T–5th | |||
| 1998: not a college head coach | ||||||
| 1999 | UNLV | 3–8 | 8th | |||
| 2000 | UNLV | 8–5 | 3rd | Las Vegas Bowl W | ||
| 2001 | UNLV | 4–7 | T–5th | |||
| 2002 | UNLV | 5–7 | T–5th | |||
| 2003 | UNLV | 6–6 | T–7th | |||
| 2004 | UNLV | 2–9 | 8th | |||
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table.
Players he coached
Charles White1979 Heisman- Tony BoselliNo. 2 pick, 1995
- Darrell RussellNo. 2 pick, 1997
- Willie McGinestNo. 4 pick, 1994
- Marvin PowellNo. 4 pick, 1977
- Ronnie LottConsensus All‑American, 1980
- Bruce MatthewsConsensus All‑American, 1982
- Gary JeterConsensus All‑American, 1976
- Dennis ThurmanConsensus All‑American, 1976 and 1977
- Keith Van HorneConsensus All‑American, 1980
- Don MosebarConsensus All‑American, 1982
- Roy FosterConsensus All‑American, 1981
7 more
George Achica (Consensus All‑American, 1982); Pat Howell (Consensus All‑American, 1978); John Michels (No. 27 pick, 1996); Joey Browner (No. 19 pick, 1983); Clay Matthews (No. 12 pick, 1978); Dennis Smith (No. 15 pick, 1981); Johnnie Morton (No. 21 pick, 1994).
18 of the 25 players from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick, the best of each school he coached among them. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 54 | 28–25–1 | 53% |
| Against top-10 teams | 21 | 11–10 | 52% |
| Against rivals | 52 | 36–13–3 | 72% |
| Conference games | 131 | 77–51–3 | 60% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 9 | 8–1 | 89% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 73 | 42–27–4 | 60% |
| At home | 99 | 65–32–2 | 67% |
| On the road | 103 | 59–42–2 | 58% |
| At neutral sites | 11 | 8–3 | 73% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 135 | 102–30–3 | 77% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 78 | 30–47–1 | 39% |
His own 213 games on file, 1976–2004, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terry Donahue 1976–1995 | 5–5 | UCLA | 10 | |
| Rich Brooks 1977–1994 | 4–1–1 | Oregon | 6 | |
| Don James 1976–1981 | 3–3 | Washington | 6 | |
| Fisher DeBerry 1999–2004 | 2–4 | Air Force | 6 | |
| Rocky Long 1999–2004 | 2–4 | New Mexico | 6 | |
| Sonny Lubick 1999–2004 | 1–5 | Colorado State | 6 | |
| Dan Devine 1976–1980 | 4–1 | Notre Dame | 5 | |
| Dick Tomey 1978–1996 | 4–1 | Hawai’i, Arizona | 5 | |
| Mike Price 1993–1997 | 4–1 | Washington State | 5 | |
| Jim Lambright 1993–1997 | 2–2–1 | Washington | 5 |
John Robinson’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon Stateseries | 12 | 11–1 |
| Stanfordseries | 12 | 10–1–1 |
| Californiaseries | 12 | 10–2 |
| Notre Dameseries | 12 | 8–3–1 |
| UCLAseries | 12 | 5–7 |
| Washingtonseries | 11 | 5–5–1 |
| Washington Stateseries | 9 | 8–1 |
| Arizonaseries | 9 | 6–3 |
Also a player: John Robinson’s playing career.
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960–71 | Oregon | Assistant coach | |
| 1972–74 | USC | Offensive coordinator | |
| 1975 | Oakland Raiders NFL | Running backs coach | |
| 1976–82 | USC | Head coach | |
| 1983–91 | Los Angeles Rams NFL | Head coach | |
| 1993–97 | USC | Head coach | |
| 1999–2004 | UNLV | Head coach | |
| 2010 | San Marcos HS (CA) high school | Defensive coordinator |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Len CasanovaOregon
- Jerry FreiOregon
- John McKayUSC
- John MaddenOakland Raiders
Assistants who became head coaches
- Bob ToledoPacific, UCLA, Tulane, UC Riverside
- Paul HackettPittsburgh, USC
- Mike Sanford Sr.UNLV, Indiana State
- R.C. SlocumTexas A&M
- Ted TollnerUSC, San Diego State, San Mateo
- Bob BakerCalgary Stampeders, Pace
- Bruce SnyderUtah State, California, Arizona State
- Fritz ShurmurWyoming
- Steve ShaferSan Mateo
- Norv TurnerWashington Redskins, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers
- Dick CouryCal State Fullerton, Portland Storm, Boston / New Orleans / Portland Breakers
- Ronnie JonesOttawa (KS), West Texas A&M, Northwestern Oklahoma State
- and 9 more
Worked under (4)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Len Casanova | Oregon | 1960–66 | Assistant coach | |
| Jerry Frei | Oregon | 1967–71 | Assistant coach | |
| John McKay | USC | 1972–74 | Offensive coordinator | |
| John Madden | Oakland Raiders NFL | 1975 | Running backs coach |
Coached under him, later head coaches (21)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Toledo | USC, 1976–78: defensive backs coach | Pacific, UCLA, Tulane, UC Riverside | |
| Paul Hackett | USC, 1976–77: quarterbacks and wide receivers coach; 1978–80: quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator | Pittsburgh, USC | |
| Mike Sanford Sr. | USC, 1977: graduate assistant; 1993–96: wide receivers coach | UNLV, Indiana State | |
| R.C. Slocum | USC, 1981: defensive coordinator | Texas A&M | |
| Ted Tollner | USC, 1982: offensive coordinator | USC, San Diego State, San Mateo | |
| Bob Baker | Los Angeles Rams, 1983–84: quarterbacks coach | Calgary Stampeders, Pace | |
| Bruce Snyder | Los Angeles Rams, 1983–86: assistant coach; UNLV, 2003: assistant coach; 2004: offensive coordinator | Utah State, California, Arizona State | |
| Fritz Shurmur | Los Angeles Rams, 1983–90: defensive coordinator | Wyoming | |
| Steve Shafer | Los Angeles Rams, 1983–90: defensive backs coach | San Mateo | |
| Norv Turner | Los Angeles Rams, 1985–90: wide receivers coach | Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers | |
| Dick Coury | Los Angeles Rams, 1986–90: quarterbacks coach | Cal State Fullerton, Portland Storm, Boston / New Orleans / Portland Breakers | |
| Ronnie Jones | Los Angeles Rams, 1991: strength and conditioning coach and linebackers coach | Ottawa (KS), West Texas A&M, Northwestern Oklahoma State | |
| Keith Burns | USC, 1993: defensive backs coach; 1994–97: defensive coordinator | Tulsa | |
| Mike Riley | USC, 1993–96: assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Oregon State, Nebraska, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, San Antonio Riders, San Diego Chargers, San Antonio Commanders, New Jersey Generals | |
| Jeff McInerney | USC, 1996–97: defensive line coach; UNLV, 1999: defensive coordinator | Central Connecticut | |
| Hue Jackson | USC, 1997: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Grambling | |
| Gene Dahlquist | UNLV, 1999: passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Scottish Claymores | |
| Ken Niumatalolo | UNLV, 1999–2001: tight ends and special teams coach | Navy, San José State | |
| Rob Phenicie | UNLV, 1999: assistant coach | Idaho State | |
| Rob Boras | UNLV, 2001–03: offensive coordinator | Benedictine | |
| Garrick McGee | UNLV, 2003: wide receivers coach | UAB |
Other assistants under him (6)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Fred Whittingham | Los Angeles Rams, 1983–90: linebackers coach | |
| John Teerlinck | Los Angeles Rams, 1991: defensive line coach | |
| Nolan Cromwell | Los Angeles Rams, 1991: defensive and special teams assistant | |
| Dennis Thurman | USC, 1993–97: defensive backs coach | |
| Mark Banker | USC, 1996: assistant head coach | |
| Mike Bradeson | UNLV, 2000–04: defensive coordinator |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
How he coached
Robinson’s teams went for it on 7% of fourth downs and on 0% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 41% of plays and took 21.1 seconds a play, in 2004.
| Season | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 3 g | 2 of 27 7% | 0% | 41% | 21.1 | +0.01 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.