Letters to Sports: A fond farewell to John Robinson

If I could have had a coaching career, I would have wanted it to be like John Robinson’s. The former USC and L.A. Rams head coach was, in my mind, one of the classiest coaches ever, in any sport.

He was open and affable when he won, and he was exactly the same when he lost. He accepted responsibility and blame for losses and passed praise on to others when his teams won. And his teams did win. Only legendary coaches John McKay and Howard Jones won more games at USC. Robinson always came across as a guy you wished your father-in-law would or could be like. A classy guy who was in a class by himself. He will genuinely be missed.

Steve Kaye
Oro Valley, Ariz.

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Legendary Times columnist Jim Murray in 1982 described coach John Robinson as “more like a country doctor healing the sick.” As successful as a football coach he was at USC and in the NFL, I remember Robinson for an action describing his character. Not sure exactly when, but Robinson was noted for helping a troubled driver on the freeway fix a flat tire. John Robinson is now on the coaching staff for the team up above along with his childhood friend, John Madden.

Wayne Muramatsu
Cerritos

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I met coach Robinson at a USC football event in 2012. I told him that we were linked because his first game as head coach was my first game as a USC freshman. Without hesitation he said, “So, it’s your fault we lost!”

Randy S. Miller
Reseda

Note to all cellar-dwelling NFL teams: If you’re seeking a cure for what ails you, check your schedule for when you’ll be playing the Rams. Expect your offense to get back on track and your defense to quickly record sacks and turnovers aplenty. Hard to believe that the 2022 Super Bowl winners have fallen so far so fast. With the 2024 season now unsalvageable after an embarrassing loss to the 3-6 Miami Dolphins, Rams players and coaches each need a candid gut check to try to right the ship before the 2025 season kicks off in 10 months.

Tom Stapleton
Glendale

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Regarding the Rams’ bungling offense and porous defense, I’m reminded of advice given to me as a child. If you have nothing good to say, say nothing at all.

Patrick Kelley
Los Angeles

I agree with Sam Farmer, that the Chargers are “better positioned” than the Rams to make the playoffs. What convinces me is that the Chargers have the best defense in the NFL, and a top-ranked defense can take you a long way in this league.

Vaughn Hardenberg
Westwood

It’s about time that the coaches at UCLA have realized that their rushers can do end-around runs as opposed to going up the middle.

UCLA won its game against Iowa, but that will not continue if the Bruins continue with their penalties and interceptions. UCLA’s chances of a winning season is a possibility.

As a fan since since 1941 that would make me very happy.

Lois Eisenberg
Valencia

So let me get this straight: Lincoln Riley has too many coaches and can’t win? How much more does USC have to spend to remain mediocre?

Rami Apelian
Pasadena

Please rescue Mike Trout. He has been languishing in relative obscurity. This is a shame for all of baseball. He deserves a bigger stage. Dodgers, trade for Mike Trout. With the Dodgers, he will blossom, just like Shohei Ohtani did.

Joe Hernandez
Riverside

A word to NASCAR from a formerly rabid fan. First you take away one of our two races a year, now greed has driven you to sell the real estate upon which a once great and beloved two-mile superspeedway existed and abandon us all together. My friends and I attended every race for years. Now I don’t even watch on TV. No way am I driving out from L.A. to watch racing on a tiny half-mile oval. If short track had any appeal, Ascot Park would still be open. You have lost a bunch of inner-city fans, the very market you were trying to develop.

Art Peck
Los Angeles

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