By Sue Rubens, widow of J Robinson

The Minnesota Star Tribune Obituary: J Paul Robinson

Loretto - J Paul Robinson, 79, of Plymouth, MN was embraced by angels and welcomed to heaven on March 29, 2026 while visiting his childhood home in Spring Valley, CA. Born on July 7, 1946 in San Diego, CA to John and Margaret Robinson, J was the 3rd of the 4 Robinson brothers.

J's pain tolerance was legendary; the fabled number of surgeries he endured, insane; the amount of time spent on crutches - unknown! A body that J forced to function for decades by stubbornly imposing his sheer will, gave out unexpectedly due to complications from his digestive system. J passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends with his favorite songs playing, countless stories being told and by the grace of God easing his pain.

J is survived by the tether to his wild kite, the calm to his storm - his beloved wife/partner of 30 years, Sue Rubens. J's first two loves are his big-hearted son, Jeb Patric Robinson and spirited daughter, Jordan Shea Bierschenk. J warmly embraced Gordon Bierschenk as his son-in-law as Gordon's Gopher Wrestler and Army National Guard status made it a destined love match for his daughter! J's love expanded exponentially for the "B3" amazing grandkids - Wyatt, JAX, and Reagan. J is also survived by brother Jerry Robinson (Rosana de Albuquerque Sa Brito), mother to his kids, Cyndy Bowlsby, many nieces and nephews, and cherished dogs Roxy and Ripley. J was preceded in death by his parents John and Margaret Robinson, brothers James Robinson and John Robinson, nephew Josh Robinson, sister-in-law's Renee Robinson and Annie Rubens, and the B3's Grandma Gretchen Bierschenk.

J challenged, he teased, he cajoled, he barked out orders, he loved to debate, he dreamed, he thrived on making bets (Mt. Shasta anyone?!), he questioned authority but usually with a valid reason, he rarely backed down and always had a million ideas churning. J "tangents" were legendary, when J honed in on something, he went ALL in! Random collections, cars, comic books, songs ("Poker Face" played on repeat umpteen times), every T-shirt he saw was a potential JROB camp shirt. J was a voracious reader who learned and gained inspiration from leaders across every industry. As a history major, J respected and was fascinated by those who came before and the life lessons they laid down. J traveled the world with wrestling and took priceless trips with Jeb and Jordan in their youth to Japan, Hawaii, Korea and across the country with the wrestling camps. J loved watching Jeb and Jordan compete in baseball, football, gymnastics and soccer while capturing many of their competitions with his love of photography.

J and Sue went on many national and international adventures together - cross country road trips with the dogs were their favorite while cranking Jimmy Buffett, Zac Brown Band, Lady Gaga (J loved to blast music and sing like no one was watching!). Their absolute favorite place and island of their engagement, Grand Cayman, holds many beautiful memories.

J truly loved the simple things of popcorn and a movie and would notably quote from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" or "Gladiator" whenever possible. Jack in the Box, McDonald's, Diet Mountain Dew, Sour Patch Kids and donuts made him happier than a fancy meal.

Shoes were purely optional for J as anytime this California son could go barefoot, he would (yes even into gas station bathrooms!).

A Southern California native, J first made his mark in wrestling on the mats of Mt. Miguel HS and Oklahoma State University. Those first steps into the wrestling world were the beginning of a life's passion J could have never predicted. An adventure-filled journey with peaks and valleys during which he has won titles and molded championship grapplers at every level. While most would think wrestling had defined Robinson's life, his service in the military along with some unexpected life twists truly forged his indomitable spirit. While at OSU, Robinson was in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), earning recognition as a Distinguished Military Student and Graduate in 1969. J was offered a regular Army commission as a Second Lieutenant and went on to graduate from Airborne, Jungle Warfare and Ranger School as an Honor Graduate. He made his first US Wrestling World team in 1970, placing 4th. In February 1971, J left for Vietnam, serving with the 173 Airborne Brigade. He returned in June to make his 2nd World Team where he placed 5th, before requesting a return to Vietnam to finish his tour with the First Cavalry Division. Upon his permanent return to the US, J wrestled for the Army, earning a spot on the 1972 U.S. Olympic team wrestling Greco-Roman at 82KG in Munich. Years later, he would be named to WIN Magazine's All-Olympic Team of the Century. The '72 Olympics were not Robinson's first opportunity to represent the United States on an international stage. He had previously been on two U.S. World teams representing the U.S. at the World Championships, placing fourth in1970 and fifth in 1971. In the early 1970s, Robinson was a four-time National Champion, twice winning the title in Freestyle and matching that number in Greco-Roman.

Following the Olympics, J resigned his Army commission with the Army and went to the University of Iowa to work on his master's degree. While in Iowa City, Robinson joined the Hawkeye wrestling coaching staff of Gary Kurdelmeier along with Assistant Coach Dan Gable, a friend and one of Robinson's roommates in Munich at the 1972 Olympics. Upon Kurdelmeier's retirement, Robinson served as the Head Assistant Coach on Gable's staff from 1976-84. He took over as the Interim Head Coach for the 1984 season while Gable was working with the USA Olympic team. The Hawkeyes won seven national championships and eight Big Ten titles in the eight years Robinson was on the staff, including sweeping both titles during the season when Robinson was the at the helm in '84. During his time at Iowa, Robinson also coached at the national level. He served as an Assistant Coach for four U.S. Olympic teams (1976, '80, '84, '88) and was also the Head Coach of the USA National team at the 1983 Pan American Games.

Notwithstanding all those accomplishments, J's most significant achievement as a coach was building the University of Minnesota into a perennial wrestling power. J took over the program in 1986 and rewrote the Minnesota record books in the 30 years as Head Wrestling Coach.

Under J's leadership, they finished in the top three at the NCAA Championships 12 times, including the program's 3 national titles (2001, 2002, 2007). 10 different Gophers have won individual national titles under Robinson, claiming 14 championships in all. Those men are among the 59 Gopher wrestlers who have produced 132 All-American seasons under Robinson, including all 10 of the four-time All-Americans in Minnesota history. Those All-American numbers include the 2001 season in which the Robinson-led Gophers went a perfect 10-for-10 at the NCAA tournament, finishing the event with a first ever All-American in all 10 weight classes, an unprecedented feat in the 123 years of college wrestling that has yet to be matched.

In addition to his success on the national level, Robinson led the Gophers to six conference championships and tutored 48 Big Ten champions. Robinson's work at Minnesota earned him the Big Ten Coach of the Year award eight times, and the National Coach of the Year on four occasions. J was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 2005. Minnesota's Wrestling Hall of Fame inducted Robinson into their 2018 class with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

J's legacy as a leader in the wrestling community was solidified through his J Robinson Intensive Camps aka JROB Intensive Camps. Launched in 1978 while coaching at Iowa, J along with his best friend Jon Marks, developed this decidedly distinctive camp format based on J's Army Ranger training, and therefore run with military precision. JROB Intensive Camps were known as the most challenging and life-changing wrestling camps in the country. The coaching and conduct expectations of the Intensive Camps featured a rigorous training model that operated on the principle that intense challenges create significant change. In over 43 years, more than 50,000 wrestlers attended the camps, with multi-generational and brothers' camp experience having a profound lifelong impact. J wanted to build well-rounded athletes, he never wavered that camps focus must not only build technical wrestling skills but also develop endurance, mental toughness, goal setting and strong core values needed to succeed in both wrestling and life.

J developed an uncommon partnership with Minneapolis nonprofit humanitarian organization Smile Network International, raising over $50K as he instituted a fundraising endeavor involving JROB campers, challenging campers to think outside of themselves and embrace "Service," with camps matching every donation campers made. In September of 2017, Robinson was honored by Smile Network International as one of the "Champion of Hope" award recipients. Robinson continued to work at growing sport of wrestling at the youth level by partnering with Saint Thomas Academy to host the JROB Wrestling Classic, launched in 2018 which continues to this day, highlighted by a record number of wrestlers in 2025 with 747 athletes competing. In keeping with J's determination to give back/serve, 100% of the proceeds from the JROB Wrestling Classic continue to benefit charities tied to wrestling or the military - now at an impressive $116,000 raised!

Robinson's ongoing support of the armed forces servicemen and servicewomen stationed overseas evolved into two goodwill tours to Iraq and Kuwait in 2009 and 2011 respectively. Both tours emphasized Robinson's desire to represent the state of Minnesota's gratitude for their service in conjunction with conducting combative training seminars for over 1,000 military personnel and motivational seminars for over 3,000 US, Coalition and civilian personnel. Robinson was honored by the Wrestlers in Business Network with a Service and Lifetime Achievement award at the 2018 WIBN Social during the NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships in Cleveland, OH.

As a Coach and leader, J lived and preached the J7: Discipline, Dedication, Sacrifice, Hard Work, Responsibility, Accountability and Service. J stood up for what he believed in and always challenged the status quo. He was hard, but fair and wanted to understand the other side of debate even if he probably wasn't going to budge! His most well-known quote was "If nothing changes, nothing changes" - prodding those he cared about to dig deep into what they needed to do to get where they wanted to be. He may have been as stubborn as a mule, but J always had your back!

Husband, father, grandfather, uncle, brother, friend, horse wrangler, garbage man, fisherman, pilot, Army Ranger, Olympian, Coach. J wore many hats, but infinitely more important to him than any title he had, are the lives he helped change for personal growth.

A Celebration of Life will be held on July 18, 2026 at St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church in Plymouth, MN with visitation beginning at 1:30PM, worship at 3:00PM. All are invited to the Medina Entertainment Center immediately after the church service for a celebratory social, with a special program at 6:00PM. A time to celebrate a life well lived with stories, music, and bringing together those impacted by J. All events are open to the public. Guests are encouraged to wear Jimmy Buffett Parrothead attire or JROB Camp gear or Minnesota Gopher Wrestling gear. In lieu of flowers, please consider walking and/or donating to the Walk To End Alzheimer's on 9/19/26. Visit act.alz.org or HERE to find J's page, "Robinson's Rangers."

"I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand

Not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand

Life is good today, life is good today"

J you made an immeasurable difference to everyone you touched - now go put your toes in heavenly sand and keep sending God Winks. Love you more.