30 best college football coaches of all time, ranked

21. John Robinson, USC 1976-1982 and 1993-1997, UNLV 1999-2004

John Robinson is another one of the few coaches to have two tenures at the same school. He was at USC from 1976 to 1982. He left USC to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams after leading the Trojans to three Pac-8 championships, three Rose Bowl victories, and a share of the 1978 national championship. He was one of the better Rams coaches in that franchise’s history, and then retired after a rough stretch in 1991.

One year later, he returned to USC and had similar success as his first run. He added two more Pac-10 championships to his resumé, and he won another Rose Bowl in 1995. Robinson would continue to build his legacy in Southern California.

Robinson’s greatest accomplishment was keeping the winning ways alive after the loss of John McKay. He stepped right into the legend’s shoes and continued winning. He put together some of the greatest coaching staffs we’ve ever seen, including giving jobs to the likes of Norv Turner, Paul Hackett, and Marv Goux.

Robinson eventually went to UNLV, but something just didn’t fit there. He was the athletic director, then he stepped down to focus on coaching. He didn’t get the right recruits, and he eventually stepped down. It is a bad mark on a good career.