A longtime NFL fixture left this world on Wednesday, January 5.
Greg Robinson died from a form of Alzheimer’s disease according to his son Dominic at the age of 70.
Robinson started his coaching career back in 1975 as a high school football assistant. He would stay on the west coast honing his craft through 1979 before making the leap to college football.
There he spent the next decade of his career between UCLA and NC State. After that, he made his jump to the NFL and left an indelible mark on the people he interacted with.
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A Memorable Run With Gang Green
Robinson after making his bones in the high school and college realm was ready for the big time and he got his first NFL opportunity with the green and white in 1990.
He spent his first four years as the defensive line coach and then was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1994. That job promotion came thanks to a head coaching change at the top from Bruce Coslet to none other than Pete Carroll.
While there weren’t many wins enjoyed during his tenure, Robinson got to work with some pretty incredible Jets legends and studs:
- Dennis Byrd
- Jeff Lageman
- Mo Lewis
- Marvin Jones
- Ronnie Lott
- James Hasty
- Aaron Glenn
Rich Cimini who has covered the team for over 30 years had the great pleasure of crossing paths with Robinson as a young reporter and shared some beautiful words on Twitter:
Former #Jets asst coach Greg Robinson has passed away at 70, per multiple reports. He was their DL coach from 90-93, DC in 94. Won 2 Super Bowl rings as the #Broncos DC + coached @CuseFootball. Honorable man, passionate coach. Always helpful to me as a young reporter. RIP. 🙏
Immediately after his run with the Jets he joined the Denver Broncos as their defensive coordinator and won back-to-back Super Bowl championships.
Ironically enough he had to go through his old team, the Jets on one of those playoff runs in the 1998-99 AFC Championship game.
Not the Only Loss the Jets Suffered This Season
Before the year even began, the Jets suffered an unspeakable loss when tragedy struck.
Gang Green assistant offensive coach Greg Knapp died in July from complications suffered from a bicycle accident out in California. He was only 58 years of age.
Knapp was getting ready to join the Jets for his very first season with the team ahead of training camp.
He was originally hired by new head coach Robert Saleh as the passing game specialist and after working with so many well-known Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Steve Young and Peyton Manning, the veteran coach was excited to work with a young passer in Zach Wilson.
They initially handled Knapp’s duties with a committee approach before ultimately bringing in some extra help on the offensive side of the ball:
- Rob Calabrese (quarterback’s coach)
- Matt Cavanaugh (senior offensive assistant)
- John Beck (personal quarterback trainer)
It was supposed to be a staff with the perfect blend of older and more experienced (Knapp) with a young offensive mind in Mike LaFleur who was getting his first chance as an NFL play-caller.
While things started off rocky, LaFleur eventually found his footing and has taken this offense to another level late in the season.
Shortly after the unfortunate passing of Knapp, LaFleur dedicated the upcoming 2021 season to the late coach and said his spirit will live on in the quarterback room.
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Former Super Bowl Champ, Ex-Jets Coach Dead at 70