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.