Garfield Coach Is Found Dead

Steve Robinson, football coach at Garfield High, was found dead at his home Tuesday, principal Maria Tostado said.

Robinson, 51, who lived alone, apparently had suffered a heart attack Thursday, she said.

Robinson has been at Garfield since 1973 and became the Bulldogs’ head coach in 1985. Last year, he guided the team to an 8-5 record. Garfield reached the semifinals of the City Section 4-A Division playoffs, losing to eventual champion Sylmar, 27-7.

Tostado said she had phoned Robinson’s mother, who went to his home to check on him after he failed to come to work Tuesday morning.

“Our boys are just devastated,” said Tostado, who held a meeting with the team Tuesday morning before informing the rest of the student body over the public-address system.

“The players were upset because they felt they should have won the championship for him.”

Robinson was active promoting the East Los Angeles Classic, a game that matches Garfield against Roosevelt High. He helped organize the Garfield Century Club, which gives eight to 12 scholarships annually to athletes from East Los Angeles schools.

“The big thing about Coach was that he helped players feel good about themselves,” Tostado said. “He helped them build self-esteem. He was so proud that all of his players kept their grades up.”

Robinson is survived by his mother, Eulalia Vanik, and a sister, Rene Kirk.

Services are scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Los Angeles. Burial will be at Rose Hills Memorial Park.