Jerry Robinson Honored by Charlotte TD Club
March 14, 2019 | Football
UCLA football great Jerry Robinson was recognized this week by The Charlotte Touchdown Club in conjunction with the Football Writers Association of America as the recipient of the 2019 Bronko Nagurski Legends Award presented by Rolle Oran & Facial Surgery. The Award celebrates outstanding defensive football players from the past 40 years and will be presented formally during the annual Bronko Nagurski Trophy Awards Banquest on December 9, 2019.
Robinson joins a growing list of prestigious Bronko Nagurski Legends Award recipients including: Alan Page, Bubba Smith, Ted Hendricks, Roger Wehrli, Mike McCoy, Jack Youngblood, Larry Jacobson, Randy Rhino, Randy White, Randy Gradishar, Chet Moeller, Ross Browner, and Tom Cousineau.
Jerry Robinson was a star athlete at Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa, California where he captained the football, basketball and track teams. At UCLA, Robinson was utilized as a wide receiver his freshman year and then moved to inside linebacker in the 1975 season and helped to lead the Bruins to a win in the 1976 Rose Bowl game against top-ranked Ohio State. As a linebacker, Robinson became a three-time All-America pick. He was a consensus choice in 1976 and a unanimous selection in both 1977 and 1978.
Robinson set a UCLA school record with 28 tackles in a single game against Air Force in 1976. His career total of 468 tackles remained a UCLA record for 36 seasons and is now second on the list. Robinson still holds the school mark for most tackles in a single-season with 161 in 1978. The Downtown Athletic Club of New York named him Linebacker of the Year (now named the Dick Butkus Award) in 1977 and 1978. He received the Pop Warner Award as Best West Coast player in 1978 and was 10th in the Heisman Trophy vote that year. Robinson was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996. Jerry was also one of 50 players to be named to The All-Century Pac-12 Football Team.
The Philadelphia Eagles selected Robinson in the first round of the 1979 NFL draft. He played a total of 13 years in the NFL, six with the Philadelphia Eagles and seven with the Los Angeles Raiders. Robinson's NFL awards and achievements include: NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year, participant in Super Bowl XV (Eagles vs. Raiders) and 1987 Ed Block Courage Award. He was a four-time All-Pro Selection and a participant in one Pro-Bowl.
Currently Jerry Robinson is Vice President, Board of Directors for the nonprofit organization Shoes4kidz and produces a podcast "People Doing Good" which highlights people accomplishing good things in their neighborhoods.
"Because of his many achievements on and off the gridiron, Jerry Robinson is an ideal choice for this year's Bronko Nagurski Legends Award," commented Dr. Richard R. Rolle, Jr. of Rolle Oral & Facial Surgery. "Having played college football at the University of Notre Dame under legendary coach Lou Holtz, I understand on a very personal level, the focus, commitment, and hard work it takes to be remembered as one of the game's all-time greats. Congratulations from the entire staff of Rolle Oral & Facial Surgery to Jerry Robinson on this well-deserved honor."