Greg Robinson's Four Naked Fingers
6/24/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Defensive coordinator Greg Robinson doesn't have much room on his fingers anymore. He has two Super Bowl rings and four Rose Bowl rings thanks to collaborations with coaching legends Dick Vermeil, Mike Shanahan and Terry Donahue, as well as Mack Brown and Pete Carroll.
"I've batted pretty well," says Robinson. "I don't think that will change with Rich Rodriguez."
Robinson joined the Wolverines as a defensive coordinator in January following a four-year head coaching stint at Syracuse. He had interest from college and the pros but once word got out about an opening at Michigan, Robinson knew it was where he wanted to be.
"I gave Rich a call and told him I was interested," says Robinson. "Being in the same conference at Syracuse and spending time together during the summer at coaches meetings, my wife and I got to know Rich and Rita pretty well. I like how he handles himself. He's a straight up guy -- what you see is what you get and I'm comfortable with that."
Robinson's move to Ann Arbor was fortuitous. His three children were all grown up and his house in Syracuse sold quickly, allowing Robinson and his wife, Laura, to make a speedy transition to Ann Arbor.
"I was able to jump right into recruiting," says Robinson. "It was nice for my wife and me to get here and get a feel for the community early on. The transition was extremely smooth."
Robinson chose to be a part of the University of Michigan for a number of reasons. The veteran coach had his choice of a number of vacancies but picked the Maize and Blue based on careful research and past experience.
"I have enough experience going against the University of Michigan or coaching athletes from the University of Michigan to have an idea of what Michigan is all about," says Robinson. "It's excellence in every way. Excellence in academics. Excellence in athletics. Ann Arbor is also an outstanding social environment and a great college town. It's close to Detroit, with all the amenities of a big city, but we're in a college setting. At UCLA, we were in Los Angeles and Austin is the capital of Texas, so there's always the hustle and bustle of a big city. In Ann Arbor you can escape that a little but still enjoy being close to so many things."
On the football side of things, Robinson is just as complimentary.
"Rich will be successful here and I want to be a part of it," says Robinson. "I was in a little bit of a similar situation at Texas a few years back where there was transition, and we were able to be successful. We're going to be just fine here.
"Our team, not just the defense, is young and wants to do well," he continues. "I've seen nothing but great effort and attitude. We've been able to teach a lot in the offseason and we'll be ready to get into it in August."
Vermeil, Shanahan, Donahue, Brown and Carroll. Robinson is hoping to add Rodriguez to his long list of successful collaborations while maybe adding a little more bling to his four naked fingers.
"I've batted pretty well," says Robinson. "I don't think that will change with Rich Rodriguez."
Robinson joined the Wolverines as a defensive coordinator in January following a four-year head coaching stint at Syracuse. He had interest from college and the pros but once word got out about an opening at Michigan, Robinson knew it was where he wanted to be.
"I gave Rich a call and told him I was interested," says Robinson. "Being in the same conference at Syracuse and spending time together during the summer at coaches meetings, my wife and I got to know Rich and Rita pretty well. I like how he handles himself. He's a straight up guy -- what you see is what you get and I'm comfortable with that."
Robinson's move to Ann Arbor was fortuitous. His three children were all grown up and his house in Syracuse sold quickly, allowing Robinson and his wife, Laura, to make a speedy transition to Ann Arbor.
"I was able to jump right into recruiting," says Robinson. "It was nice for my wife and me to get here and get a feel for the community early on. The transition was extremely smooth."
Robinson chose to be a part of the University of Michigan for a number of reasons. The veteran coach had his choice of a number of vacancies but picked the Maize and Blue based on careful research and past experience.
"I have enough experience going against the University of Michigan or coaching athletes from the University of Michigan to have an idea of what Michigan is all about," says Robinson. "It's excellence in every way. Excellence in academics. Excellence in athletics. Ann Arbor is also an outstanding social environment and a great college town. It's close to Detroit, with all the amenities of a big city, but we're in a college setting. At UCLA, we were in Los Angeles and Austin is the capital of Texas, so there's always the hustle and bustle of a big city. In Ann Arbor you can escape that a little but still enjoy being close to so many things."
On the football side of things, Robinson is just as complimentary.
"Rich will be successful here and I want to be a part of it," says Robinson. "I was in a little bit of a similar situation at Texas a few years back where there was transition, and we were able to be successful. We're going to be just fine here.
"Our team, not just the defense, is young and wants to do well," he continues. "I've seen nothing but great effort and attitude. We've been able to teach a lot in the offseason and we'll be ready to get into it in August."
Vermeil, Shanahan, Donahue, Brown and Carroll. Robinson is hoping to add Rodriguez to his long list of successful collaborations while maybe adding a little more bling to his four naked fingers.
Players Mentioned
OL
/ FootballFootball Closes Bowl Prep, Readies for Last Game in 2025
Tuesday, December 30
Citrus Bowl Opens New Opportunities for Wolverines
Monday, December 29
Citrus Bowl Practice in Full Swing, Coach Whittingham Talks Priorities
Sunday, December 28
Kyle Whittingham Introductory Press Conference (Dec. 28)
Sunday, December 28
