Jerry Dewayne Robinson (born December 18, 1956) is an American former professional
football player who was a
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL) for thirteen seasons during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He played
college football for the
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) ...
, and earned
All-American honors. Chosen in the first round of the
1979 NFL Draft
The 1979 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 3–4, 1979, at the Waldorf Astori ...
, he played professionally for the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
and
Los Angeles Raiders
The Los Angeles Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994 before relocating back to Oakland, California, where the team played from its inaugural 1960 season to the 1981 season and then agai ...
of the NFL.
Early years
Robinson was born in
San Francisco, California
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
. He attended
Cardinal Newman High School in
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa ( Spanish for " Saint Rose") is a city and the county seat of Sonoma County, in the North Bay region of the Bay Area in California. Its estimated 2019 population was 178,127. It is the largest city in California's Wine Country and ...
, where he played for the Cardinal Newman
high school football
High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...
team.
College career
Robinson attended the
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...
(UCLA), where he played for the
Bruins from 1975 to 1978. He was recruited as a
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...
by
Dick Vermeil, his future professional
coach, who converted him to linebacker. He was a three-time consensus first-team All-American (1976, 1977, 1978). Robinson was inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame in 1996.
Professional career
The
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
selected Robinson in the first round (21st pick overall) in the 1979 NFL Draft, and he played for the Eagles from to . He was a member of the Eagles for
Super Bowl XV, and was chosen for the
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
after the season. He finished his NFL career with the Los Angeles Raiders from to . In his thirteen NFL seasons, he played in 184 games, started 147 of them, and compiled twelve interceptions and fifteen fumble recoveries.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Jerry
1956 births
Living people
All-American college football players
American football linebackers
College Football Hall of Fame inductees
Los Angeles Raiders players
National Conference Pro Bowl players
Philadelphia Eagles players
Players of American football from San Francisco
UCLA Bruins football players
Ed Block Courage Award recipients