Robinson to Get Sequel at USC : College football: Trojan coach from 1976-82 will be back. Announcement to be made today.

John Robinson will get a second run as USC’s football coach. An official announcement of his rehiring will be made at a news conference today.

Reached at his home Saturday night, Robinson would only confirm that the news conference would be held and declined to comment further.

Robinson, who coached USC from 1976-82 and the Rams from 1983-91, will replace Larry Smith, who was forced to resign Friday after six seasons.

“I’m not going to either confirm or deny that,” said USC’s outgoing athletic director, Mike McGee, who will recommend a candidate to succeed Smith to university President Steven B. Sample before leaving to become athletic director at South Carolina.

McGee said there were two candidates for the USC job, but declined to identify either.

The search for a new coach started after Dec. 14, when Smith was interviewed in Atlanta by Auburn officials as a possible replacement for Coach Pat Dye. Dye resigned Nov. 25, the day before the Tigers’ final game of the season, against Alabama.

Dye was replaced by former Samford University Coach Terry Bowden, a son of Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden.

USC was 67-14-2 during seven seasons under Robinson, winning Rose Bowl games after the 1976, 1978 and 1979 seasons and earning a share of the national championship with Alabama in 1978.

Under Robinson, who was Trojan offensive coordinator under John McKay from 1972-74, tailback Charles White won the Heisman Trophy in 1979 and tailback Marcus Allen won it two years later.

Robinson was 6-1 against Notre Dame, 5-2 against UCLA.

He won 81.9% of his games, best of any coach at USC since Elmer C. (Gloomy Gus) Henderson, who was 45-7 from 1919-24.

In Robinson’s last USC game--”Win one for the Fat Guy,” was the rallying cry--the Trojans defeated Notre Dame, 17-13, at the Coliseum in 1982, extending a winning streak over the Irish to five games.

USC has not defeated the Irish since, losing 10 in a row.

USC was sanctioned twice, once by the Pacific 10 Conference and once by the NCAA, because of rules violations committed by Robinson’s staff. Because of the sanctions, the Trojans were ineligible to play in bowl games after the 1980, 1982 and 1983 seasons.

Robinson, those close to the program said, also seemed to lose interest in recruiting during his last few seasons at USC.

Still, he remained a popular figure among alumni after he resigned in 1982 to take a job as a university vice president.

He soon grew bored with that job, however, and signed with the Rams, who were 79-74 during the nine seasons before he resigned under fire in 1991. The Rams were 8-24 during his last two seasons after reaching the NFC championship game in 1989, where they lost to the San Francisco 49ers.

“He’s been through a lot of stuff,” said Trojan wide receiver Johnnie Morton, who said Saturday that he will remain at USC for his senior season rather than make himself available for the NFL draft. “For the team, it would be kind of a boost (to hire Robinson). I think he would bring in a qualified staff, and he’s been successful here and in the pros.”

USC was 44-25-3 during six seasons under Smith, but only 9-13-1 during the last two, including a 24-7 loss to Fresno State in the Freedom Bowl on Tuesday night at Anaheim Stadium.

Coach Jim Sweeney of Fresno State told the Fresno Bee on Friday that Smith’s departure was inevitable--and necessary.

“Once the leader is shot--not buried--it’s hard to rally the troops, almost impossible,” Sweeney told the Bee, adding that the Bulldogs’ upset victory was “the final volley.”

He said that faith in Smith among USC’s players had deteriorated, making it imperative for the administration to let him go.

“Once a great majority of people in the program lose confidence--and players know that--it’s almost impossible to regain that confidence,” Sweeney said. “Larry would have had a terrible time getting it done now.”

Sweeney implied that Smith’s staff was to blame for the Trojans’ slide, which included a 3-8 season in 1991.

“I think probably his main downfall was a staff who couldn’t identify and make decisions about top-flight prospects,” Sweeney said. “You’ve got to have people who really understand that at that level.”

Against Fresno State, he added, USC did not respond well.

“I don’t want to take away from our team,” Sweeney said, “but SC was totally confused. They were always in the wrong defensive front; the only plays they stopped were plays we added for the game.

“They stopped them all, and that’s because they watched our practices. I know they did. On offense, they didn’t change one play to my knowledge. They had no idea how to attack a two-deep zone.”

Back to School

A look at the coaching record of John Robinson, who will return to head the USC football program.

COLLEGE

Year, School W L T 1976 USC 10 1 0 1977 USC 7 4 0 1978 USC 11 1 0 1979 USC 10 0 1 1980 USC 8 2 1 1981 USC 9 2 0 1982 USC 8 3 0 Bowls 4 1 0 Totals 67 14 2

*NFL

Year, Team W L T 1983 Rams 9 7 0 1984 Rams 10 6 0 1985 Rams 11 5 0 1986 Rams 10 6 0 1987 Rams* 6 9 0 1988 Rams 10 6 0 1989 Rams 11 5 0 1990 Rams 5 11 0 1991 Rams 3 13 0 Playoffs 4 6 0 Totals 79 74 0

*--Strike shortened season.