Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sports
Estelle Timar-Wilcox

Former University of Minnesota wrestling coach J Robinson dies

A wrestling coach looks on during a match
University of Minnesota wrestling coach J Robinson looks on during a match against Penn State on Jan. 25, 2015 in State College, Penn. Robinson, who led the Gophers program for three decades, died Sunday at age 79.
Hunter Martin | Getty Images file

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Longtime University of Minnesota wrestling coach J Robinson died Sunday at age 79, the university announced.

The university did not give further details on Robinson’s death.

In his 30 years at the U of M, from 1986 to 2016, Robinson led the Gophers wrestling program to three national titles — in 2001, 2002 and 2007. He also coached dozens of All-Americans and individual national champions.

He was honored as the Big Ten Coach of the Year seven times and inducted to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005. Robinson’s Hall of Fame entry recognizes him as a “tenacious competitor, championship coach, innovative leader and a driving force in the sport of wrestling.”

Robinson’s coaching tenure with the Gophers ended in 2016, when he was fired from the U after a months-long investigation into wrestlers allegedly selling and abusing prescription drugs. According to U of M athletics officials, Robinson kept details of the drug use and sales from higher-ups, and rather attempted to handle the issue himself — reportedly telling wrestlers he wouldn’t repeat what they told him about drug use and sales within the team.

At the time, Robinson called the university’s report inaccurate, and said coaches lacked support from the university to help students handle drug issues.

Robinson joined the U of M after coaching for several years at the University of Iowa. Prior to that, he was an Olympic wrestler himself, competing for the U.S. in 1972 and coaching several later Olympic teams. Robinson was a veteran of the Vietnam War.

The Gophers credit him with developing “an environment of excellence” and raising the U of M wrestling program to an elite level.