Blast from the Past

John Robinson today


Back in early 1987, Columbia football fans were buzzing over how one school's bad fortune was looking like the Lions' good fortune.

SMU, the fabled football power that boasted stars like Eric Dickerson and Craig James in the 1980's, had just been handed the "death sentence" by the NCAA. Numerous recruiting, fund raising, and hair gel violations led to the complete shutting down of the school's football program.

A few weeks later, Columbia began pursuing a promising linebacker from the Mustangs who had the grades to transfer to the Ivies.

His name was John Robinson, and while he had been just a second-stringer for SMU, he had the speed and the size to be a star for Columbia. He had one year of eligibility left, but the transfer went through and Robinson started several games in the 1987.

He ended up with 36 tackles for the season, including two sacks. He did not make the huge impact some expected he would on the field, but he walked away with a Columbia degree in 1989 and survived what had to be some serious culture shock for a kid from Baytown, Texas.

Now, Robinson is back in the news as a strong candidate to become the new athletic director at the University of Houston.

Robinson currently serves as the interim AD at UH.

Good luck John!