Johnny Robinson (safety)

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox NFL biography Johnny Nolan Robinson (born September 9, 1938) is an American former professional football player. He was primarily a safety, but also played on offense as a halfback and flanker early in his career. He played college football for the LSU Tigers.

Robinson played his entire twelve-year professional career with the [[Kansas City Chiefs|Dallas TexansTemplate:Nnbsp/Template:NnbspKansas City Chiefs]] of the American Football League (AFL) and later the National Football League (NFL). He led the AFL in interceptions with ten in 1966, and led the NFL in 1970 with ten. He had 57 interceptions during his career.<ref name=":2" /> Robinson is a Template:Nfly inductee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, becoming the ninth member of the Chiefs' Super Bowl IV championship team to be inducted.

Early life

Born in Delhi, Louisiana on September 9, 1938,<ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Robinson was W. T. "Dub" Robinson and Mattie Robinson's second son.<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Robinson was an all-state football, tennis, and baseball player in high school. He became starting fullback in his freshman year at University High School, Louisiana State University's (LSU) laboratory school located on LSU's campus in Baton Rouge.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" /> He played in the 1956 Louisiana high school all-star football game, along with future college teammate Billy Cannon.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Robinson and his older brother, Tommy, won the national boys' junior tennis championship when they were at U-High, where Dub Robinson was the LSU tennis coach from 1948 to 1974. Tommy was the superior tennis player and was inducted into the Louisiana Tennis Hall of Fame in 2015.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2019, University High retired Robinson's football number 44.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

College career

Robinson committed to play college football at LSU, in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), under head coach Paul Dietzel. From 1957 to 1959, he would become one of the greatest two-way players in team history. In his junior season,1958, the Tigers won all ten games in the regular season. Then, on January 1, 1959, they won the Sugar Bowl over Clemson 7–0 (making them 11-0), further winning the national championship. Billy Cannon, the 1958 Heisman Trophy winner, was also on that team. LSU went 9–2 in 1959, and again played in the Sugar Bowl, on January 1, 1960, losing to Ole Miss. Robinson had a fractured hand and did not carry the ball once in that game.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1958, Robinson earned first team All-SEC honors as a halfback, and in 1959, he was second team all-conference. Over his three-year LSU career, the team was 25–7, and Robinson had 893 rushing yards, 453 receiving yards, and 14 touchdowns.<ref name=":0" /> In a 1958 game against Tulane, Robison had four touchdowns in the second half, and United Press International named him Back Of The Week.<ref name=":1" />

Also while at LSU, he won the 1958 SEC tennis championship in singles, and SEC doubles championship with his brother Tommy.<ref name=":0" />

In 2019, Robinson was LSU's SEC Football Legend.<ref name=":0" />

Professional career

In 1960, Robinson was selected by the Dallas Texans (who later became the Kansas City Chiefs) in the first round of the 1960 AFL draft, and selected third overall by the Detroit Lions in the 1960 NFL draft.<ref name=PFR/> In his third season, the Texans won the 1962 AFL title with a 20–17 double-overtime victory over the two-time defending AFL champion Houston Oilers in the longest professional football league championship game ever played. Robinson had two interceptions. The dramatic game was watched by millions on television, and played an important part in creating the grounds for an AFL-NFL merger.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":3" />

Robinson played in the first Super Bowl in early 1967, a loss to the Green Bay Packers in which Robinson had 9 tackles.<ref name=":4" /> Three years later in Super Bowl IV, the underdog Chiefs decisively defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 23–7. Robinson played that game with three broken ribs he received in the previous game,<ref name=Teicher>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and took novocaine injections to dull the pain for the Super Bowl.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Late in the first half, he picked up a Minnesota fumble, and made an interception in the second half to help seal the win.<ref name=Skretta>Template:Cite news</ref>

During his first two years in the AFL, Robinson played flanker on offense, rushing for 658 yards on 150 carries and had 1,228 receiving yards on 77 receptions, and fifteen touchdowns.<ref name=PFR/><ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Texans coach Hank Stram moved Robinson to safety after his second year and he continued as a standout for ten of his twelve years.<ref name="PFR" /><ref name=":2" />

His last game came on Christmas Day 1971, when the Chiefs lost to the Miami Dolphins 24–27 after 22 minutes and forty seconds of overtime. Robinson suffered a career-ending injury that game, which remains the longest game in NFL history, as of 2024, and the last NFL game in Municipal Stadium.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Robinson thus played in the sport's longest championship game in 1962 and in its absolute longest game, each game closing out professional football in its respective stadium.

After twelve seasons with the same franchise, Robinson retired at age 33 in July 1972, prior to training camp.<ref name=robvoid>Template:Cite news</ref>

Legacy

Robinson was a seven-time first-team All-Pro and three-time second-team All-Pro selection. He is a member of the All-time All-AFL Team and one of only 20 players who were in the AFL for its entire ten-year existence.<ref name=Fitzpatrick>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":3" /> He is one of only three players (with hall of famers Jim Otto and Ron Mix) who were on the All-AFL first team and the combined AFL/NFL all decade team for the 1960s.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Chiefs had a 35–1–1 record in games where Robinson made an interception.<ref name=PFHOF>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He is an inductee of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, and was elected into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in February Template:Nfly, the ninth member inducted from the 1969 Chiefs;<ref name=Skretta/> his bust at Canton was sculpted by Scott Myers. Later that year, he was recognized as an SEC Football Legend for LSU.<ref name=Kubena2>Template:Cite news</ref> He is also a member of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.<ref name=":2" />

Career statistics

Legend
	Won the AFL championship
	AFL & Super Bowl champion
	Led the league
Bold	Career high

Year	Team	League	GP	Int	Yds	TD	Lng
1960	DAT	AFL	14	—	—	—	—
1961	DAT	AFL	14	—	—	—	—
1962	DAT	AFL	14	4	25	0	20
1963	KC	AFL	14	3	41	0	19
1964	KC	AFL	10	2	17	0	17
1965	KC	AFL	14	5	99	0	50
1966	KC	AFL	14	10	136	1	29
1967	KC	AFL	14	5	17	0	10
1968	KC	AFL	14	6	40	0	16
1969	KC	AFL	14	8	158	0	33
1970	KC	NFL	14	10	155	0	57
1971	KC	NFL	14	4	53	0	29
Career<ref name=PFR>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation			CitationClass=web }}</ref> !! 164 !! 57 !! 741 !! 1 !! 57

Personal and later life

After he retired as a player, Robinson was a scout for the Chiefs until Hank Stram was fired in 1974. He then coached defensive backs for the Jacksonville Express of the World Football League in 1975. The league folded that year, and he became a scout for the New Orleans Saints, again under Stram.<ref name="Kubena">Template:Cite news</ref>

Robinson became an ordained minister in 1979. He founded and operates a youth home called Johnny Robinson's Boys Home for troubled boys in Monroe, Louisiana, and has been a long-time supporter of children's causes.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>