J Robinson, accomplished longtime Gophers wrestling coach, dies at 79
J Robinson, who coached the University of Minnesota wrestlers for 30 years and led them to great success, has died, the program announced Sunday.
Robinson coached the Gophers to three national championships and was named National Coach of the Year thrice. Under his guidance, dozens of Gophers were named All-Americans.
Minnesota fired Robinson in 2016 amid allegations of student athletes selling and abusing Xanax. The university said he was not forthcoming about what he knew. At the time, he told WCCO he was not surprised by his firing, but that he disagreed with it, and that he stood by his wrestlers.
The program mourned Robinson on social media, calling him "legendary."
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame, which named Robinson a "Distinguished Member" in 2005, described him as a "tenacious competitor, championship coach, innovative leader and a driving force in the sport of wrestling." In 2018, the Minnesota chapter of the hall gave him a Lifetime Service to Wrestling award.
Prior to his coaching career, Robinson was an accomplished collegiate and Oympic wrestler. He started coaching as an assistant at the University of Iowa, then became the head coach at Minnesota in 1986.
Robinson was 79.