J Robinson

July 07, 1946 - Present

J Robinson, tenacious competitor, championship coach, innovative leader and a driving force in the sport of wrestling.

Robinson’s competitive spirit and “give it your all” attitude emerged during his days as a prep wrestler in California. A two-time SDIF Champion (1963 & 1964); he was named Most Outstanding Wrestler in 1964. His flair for international competition and being on the “cutting edge of the sport” began when be became a member of the inaugural California International Team. Competing in Japan, the pioneer team paved the way for young wrestlers of the future.

In the next years, Robinson made his mark in not just one style of wrestling, but three. He honed his collegiate style skills under the instruction of the legendary coach Myron Roderick at Oklahoma State University. Shifting his focus to the International arena, he was a member of two World teams, finishing fourth in 1970 and fifth in 1971. He competed as a member of the 1972 Greco-Roman Olympic Team. During this time, he won four National titles; two in Freestyle and two in Greco-Roman.

With his three-style background, he began his coaching career at the University of Iowa. As an assistant coach, Robinson’s wealth of knowledge helped propel the team to an amazing nine national championships in 12 years. In 1984, as interim coach, he led the Hawkeyes to another NCAA title and a Big Ten Conference Championship.

In 1986 he was named head coach of the University of Minnesota. Under his leadership and mentoring, Robinson changed young athletes into confident competitors helping them believe they could win it all. With one goal in mind, they won back to back NCAA Championships (2001 & 2002). His teams also captured four Big Ten Championships, three NWCA National Duals titles and compiled a record of 269-92-3 (74.3%). In recognition of his accomplishments, he was named National Coach of the Year in 1998 and 2001, and was named Big Ten Coach of the Year five times.

While sharing his skills on the collegiate level, he also continued to share his expertise with athletes in freestyle competitions. He was selected as the head coach for the Pan American Games in 1983 and served as an assistant coach for the Olympics in 1976, 1980, l984, and 1988.

In addition to his diverse coaching duties, Robinson has become a leader in promoting the sport. He created the “Border Brawl”, a dual meet event between rivals Minnesota and Iowa that set the NCAA dual attendance record of 15,646. He continues to pursue innovative marketing methods to advance the sport he loves.

In recognition of his dynamic contributions to the sport of wrestling, J Robinson is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Awards:

Year
2018
Award
Lifetime Service to Wrestling
Chapter/Region
Minnesota
Year
2013
Award
Alan and Gloria Rice Greco - Leadership Award
Chapter/Region
National
Year
2005
Award
Distinguished Member
Chapter/Region
National

All Coaching Dual Records:

Season
2011
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
20
Wins
15
Losses
4
Ties
1
Win PCT.
75
Season
2010
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
17
Wins
12
Losses
5
Ties
0
Win PCT.
70.59
Season
2009
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
23
Wins
15
Losses
8
Ties
0
Win PCT.
65.22
Season
2008
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
21
Wins
14
Losses
7
Ties
0
Win PCT.
66.67
Season
2007
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
20
Wins
19
Losses
1
Ties
0
Win PCT.
95
Season
2006
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
21
Wins
20
Losses
1
Ties
0
Win PCT.
95.24
Season
2005
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
18
Wins
9
Losses
9
Ties
0
Win PCT.
50
Season
2004
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
18
Wins
12
Losses
6
Ties
0
Win PCT.
66.67
Season
2003
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
22
Wins
17
Losses
5
Ties
0
Win PCT.
77.27
Season
2002
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
19
Wins
19
Losses
0
Ties
0
Win PCT.
100
Season
2001
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
20
Wins
19
Losses
1
Ties
0
Win PCT.
95
Season
2000
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
19
Wins
17
Losses
2
Ties
0
Win PCT.
89.47
Season
1999
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
20
Wins
18
Losses
2
Ties
0
Win PCT.
90
Season
1998
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
21
Wins
19
Losses
2
Ties
0
Win PCT.
90.48
Season
1997
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
20
Wins
16
Losses
4
Ties
0
Win PCT.
80
Season
1996
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
19
Wins
10
Losses
8
Ties
1
Win PCT.
52.63
Season
1995
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
21
Wins
15
Losses
5
Ties
1
Win PCT.
71.43
Season
1994
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
22
Wins
20
Losses
2
Ties
0
Win PCT.
90.91
Season
1993
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
25
Wins
21
Losses
3
Ties
1
Win PCT.
84
Season
1992
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
22
Wins
7
Losses
15
Ties
0
Win PCT.
31.82
Season
1991
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
15
Wins
11
Losses
4
Ties
0
Win PCT.
73.33
Season
1990
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
16
Wins
10
Losses
6
Ties
0
Win PCT.
62.5
Season
1989
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
20
Wins
11
Losses
9
Ties
0
Win PCT.
55
Season
1988
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
21
Wins
15
Losses
6
Ties
0
Win PCT.
71.43
Season
1987
School
Minnesota
Division
Division I
Duals
21
Wins
7
Losses
14
Ties
0
Win PCT.
33.33
Season
Career
Duals
501
Wins
368
Losses
129
Ties
4
Win PCT.
73.45

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