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John Robinson is the winningest coach in Ram's history. His 79 wins lead all other Ram coaches and his 4 playoff wins also are tops.
There was a popular game years ago called, "The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon", the idea being that anyone can trace themselves to actor Kevin Bacon, through six connections, or less.
In recent research for different posts, I have kind of been piecing together a similar connection with our great coach from the '80's.
Full disclosure. As I have noted in previous posts, John Robinson went to my high school. I do take great pride in that. It is interesting, my graduating year from Serra High School, (San Mateo, CA) 1983, happened to be John Robinson's first year as Ram's coach. The Rams finished 9-7 that year, and went to the playoffs as a wildcard. The San Francisco Forty-Niners had just won their first of many division titles in '81, along the way to a Super Bowl Title, and a dominating decade. Yet the Rams also did well in the '80's, making the playoffs in 6 of Robinsons first 7 years of coaching, including a division title in 1985.
To the point; In researching Robinson's past, I have noticed an uncanny number of connections to key players in Ram's history, as well as other notable NFL connections. The Six Degrees of John Robinson:
....The six degrees of John Robinson.
There was a popular game years ago called, "The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon", the idea being that anyone can trace themselves to actor Kevin Bacon, through six connections, or less.
In recent research for different posts, I have kind of been piecing together a similar connection with our great coach from the '80's.
Full disclosure. As I have noted in previous posts, John Robinson went to my high school. I do take great pride in that. It is interesting, my graduating year from Serra High School, (San Mateo, CA) 1983, happened to be John Robinson's first year as Ram's coach. The Rams finished 9-7 that year, and went to the playoffs as a wildcard. The San Francisco Forty-Niners had just won their first of many division titles in '81, along the way to a Super Bowl Title, and a dominating decade. Yet the Rams also did well in the '80's, making the playoffs in 6 of Robinsons first 7 years of coaching, including a division title in 1985.
To the point; In researching Robinson's past, I have noticed an uncanny number of connections to key players in Ram's history, as well as other notable NFL connections. The Six Degrees of John Robinson:
- John Robinson grew up in Daly City, California. He met John Madden in elementary school, and developed a bond that would last throughout his career, and stands today. The two are best friends.
- During that same time Robinson and Madden grew up in Daly City in 1954, a young man named Dick Vermeil walked the nearby wine country town of Calistoga, with coaching aspirations of his own. Vermeil's first coaching opportunity was at San Mateo's Hillsdale High School, in 1960. (More on this later)
- Robinson's parents sent him to Junipero Serra High School, just a half mile from Vermiels later coaching startup- Hillsdale High. Meanwhile, Robinson's friend, John Madden would attend the public Jefferson High. Robinson excelled in football, and went on to play at the University of Oregon. Doing very well playing end, he even played in a Rose Bowl, in 1958. Robinson went on to coach at Oregon from 1960-1971.
- During Robinson's time coaching at Oregon, the competition back home became very interesting. His high school league began producing a series of great, soon to be NFL-bound players- mostly quarterbacks. Robinson took note.
- Dan Pastorini, from rival Bellarmine, graduated in 1967, and went to now-defunct Santa Clara University. The city that now hosts the stinking corpse that used to be the Forty-Niners. Pastorini would go on to have several great years with the Houston Oilers, and even spent a year with the Rams in 1981. Just two years before Robinsons stint as Rams coach began.
- Dan Fouts, who began his high school career at Marin Catholic of Kentfield, (More on this school later) would later transfer in his junior year to Robinson's rival, Saint Ignatius High of San Francisco. Fouts excelled at quarterback, where he graduated in 1969, and was recruited to Oregon by....John Robinson. Fouts, of course, went on to become one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history with the San Diego Chargers.
- Meanwhile, that same 1969 high school graduating class from the competitive Catholic Athletic League held two other future NFL players, Jesse Freitas Jr., who, ironically would go on to back up Fouts, as quarterback for the Chargers in 1974-75, and a guy named Lynn Swann. Both players went to Robinson's alma mater, Serra.
- Swann was a top recruit, and Robinson thought he had an inside track to recruit him to Oregon, since they both went to the same high school. Though the following video may seem a little self-indulgent, it is pretty entertaining, and Swann and Robinson best tell the story about what happens next.
View: https://youtu.be/_aDjUIkJZU4
- So Robinson ends up coaching Swann at USC. Swann, of course, ends up having one of the most amazing 9-year careers imaginable with the Steelers, winning 4 Superbowls, including Superbowl X. Below is a picture of a pretty excited young @Roman Snow with his younger brother, the bandwagon-Niner-lover, along with Swann at his MVP party in Foster City, 1976. One of my Forest Gump moments. Swann, of course, was a bitter-sweet hero, as he later would catch a touchdown, helping defeat the Rams in Superbowl XIV.
- While coaching at USC, Robinson later coaches a pretty impressive group of defensive backs, including Ronny Lott, Joey Browner, and a guy named Jeff Fisher. Fisher would later move on to coaching, himself, and receive one of his key boosts from former USC Head Coach Robinson in his final year with the Rams 1991. Robinson Hired Fisher as Defensive Coordinator.
- In the neighboring town to Fouts' Kentfield- Larkspur, in Marin County, at the same time in 1969 was a young man named Pete Carroll. Carroll, of course later served as USC coach after Robinson, and now Heads that wretched team out of Seattle.
- That Public High School that gave Coach Vermeil his start, -Hillsdale High, a young man named Tom Brady grew up in the shadow of that school, years later. Instead, Brady would choose my school. Swann's School...John Robinson's school. The winningest coach in our history was ironically instrumental in starting the career of two future Superbowl MVP's, and two Ram killers.
- That school that QB great Dan Fouts attended his first two years?-Marin Catholic- Before he went on and was recruited by John Robinson to Oregon? A certain young man graduated from there just a few years ago named...Jared Goff, of your Los Angeles Rams!
....The six degrees of John Robinson.
