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From Gary Klein: John Robinson, who coached his signature run-oriented USC football team to a national title and took the Los Angeles Rams to two NFL conference championship games, has died. He was 89.
Robinson, whose USC teams won four Rose Bowls in his two stints with the Trojans, died Monday in Baton Rouge, La., of complications from pneumonia, USC announced.
Robinson succeeded the legendary John McKay at USC in 1976 and continued the Trojans’ winning tradition for seven seasons. The Rams lured him to pro football in 1983 and he led the franchise to numerous playoff appearances and the brink of two Super Bowls before returning to USC a decade later. His last coaching job was at Nevada Las Vegas, where he temporarily revived a moribund program.
After his coaching career ended in 2004, Robinson worked as a broadcaster and a volunteer assistant football coach at his grandson’s high school in San Diego County. He returned to USC as a fundraiser in 2011. In 2019, he served as a consultant for Louisiana State’s national championship team.
“I enjoyed it,” Robinson, when asked how he would like to be remembered, told The Times during an interview in May 2024. “And I think that’s the big thing — that when you get a job you enjoy it.
“You always think, ‘God, I could have done that better.’ But, you know, you have to be satisfied with what you did. I enjoyed the players just tremendously, and there were so many good ones.’”
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RAMS
From Gary Klein: Too many wasted opportunities. Too many missed blocks at the line of scrimmage and tackles in the open field.
The momentum–turning plays that the Rams executed during their three-game winning streak were noticeably absent on Monday night against the Miami Dolphins in a 23-15 defeat before 72,474 at SoFi Stadium.
The Rams trailed from start to finish, falling behind 10-6 in the first half.
The loss dropped the Rams’ record to 4-5 going into Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
The defeat was a buzzkill for a Rams team that had rebounded from a 1-4 start to defeat the Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks.
CLIPPERS
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 45 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Clippers 134-128 on Monday night in their first game this season without Chet Holmgren.
Holmgren will miss at least eight weeks with a pelvic fracture after a hard fall during Sunday’s loss to Golden State. The 7-foot-1 forward/center had been one of the league’s most efficient scorers and top shot blockers.
Gilgeous-Alexander picked up the slack by making 13 of 21 field goals and 15 of 16 free throws. He also had nine assists. Jalen Williams scored 28 points and Lu Dort added 19 for Oklahoma City.
With their tallest starter at 6-foot-6, the Thunder ran relentlessly, yet committed just 11 turnovers. They were outrebounded 47-29.
Norman Powell scored 31 points, but he fouled out with the Clippers down four with 1:32 remaining. Ivica Zubac had 22 points and 14 rebounds and Derrick Jones Jr. added 20 points for the Clippers. James Harden had 17 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, but he shot five of 15 and had five fouls.
UCLA BASKETBALL
From Ben Bolch: The long road back to prestige started at home, against a largely anonymous opponent.
Having failed its first test against a mid-major, UCLA took a step down in competition Monday night and didn’t do a lot to convince anyone it belonged back in the national rankings.
Many of the same problems that plagued the Bruins last week were present again during a disjointed 71-40 victory over Boston University at Pauley Pavilion.
There were turnovers galore, long scoring droughts and more struggles making shots from long range.
Fortunately for the Bruins, their defense proved too much for an opponent incapable of handling active hands and backcourt pressure. UCLA (2-1) forced 28 turnovers that it converted into 36 points in taking a small step forward after its loss to New Mexico.
ANGELS
From Bill Shaikin: When the television company that airs Angels games filed for bankruptcy last year, the team appeared to be faced with a stark choice: take less money to stay on its longtime broadcast home or take much less money now in the hope that a streaming-first alternative would pay off later.
Either way, the prospect of lower revenue raised the prospect of a lower payroll. That would not be optimal for any team, but it could be particularly ominous for a last-place team coming off the worst record in franchise history.
On that front, then, the Angels have scored a much-needed victory. They have reached a new television deal and retained enough revenue that payroll will not be cut.
“One hundred percent,” Angels owner Arte Moreno said Monday. “We are raising our payroll.”
KINGS
Captain Mikael Backlund had a goal and assist to lead the Calgary Flames to a gritty 3-1 victory over the Kings on Monday.
Jonathan Huberdeau with his team-leading sixth goal and Kevin Rooney, into an empty net, also scored for Calgary.
Trevor Moore scored the lone goal for the Kings, who lost in regulation for just the second time in the last seven.
UCLA/USC SOCCER
From Kevin Baxter: Fourth-ranked USC and No. 9 UCLA will open the NCAA women’s soccer tournament at home, with the Trojans meeting Sacramento State on Sunday at Dignity Health Sports Park and the Bruins hosting Western Athletic Conference champion Cal Baptist on Friday.
Both Southern California teams claimed championships in their first seasons in the Big Ten, with USC beating UCLA for the regular-season conference title while the Bruins won the postseason conference tournament by beating Rutgers on Sunday.
USC (15-1-3) is seeded No. 1 in its NCAA bracket, while UCLA (16-3-3) is a No. 2 seed in its regional behind Duke, the nation’s top-ranked team in the United Soccer Coaches’ poll.
BOXING
Kevin Baxter takes a look at the rise and fall of Ryan Garcia, the embattled boxer wants to be the relatable anti-hero. Garcia entered 2024 with one loss in 25 professional fights. He was young, handsome, talented and charismatic. In a struggling sport that is all about brashness and self-promotion, Ryan Garcia seemed a savior. Then he knocked himself out with a spectacular series of self-inflicted body blows that has sent his career to the canvas.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1892 — William “Pudge” Heffelfinger becomes the first pro football player by getting $500 to play for the Allegheny Athletic Association against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. Heffelfinger doesn’t disappoint his bosses, returning a fumble for a touchdown to give Allegheny a 4-0 victory.
1920 — Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis is hired as baseball’s first commissioner.
1931 — Maple Leaf Gardens opens in Toronto, with the Chicago Black Hawks winning 2-1 before 13,233 fans.
1967 — Travis Williams of Green Bay returns two kickoffs for touchdowns against Cleveland, and the Packers beat the Browns 55-7.
1972 — Richard Petty wins a record fourth NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National championship after finishing third in the Texas 500.
1972 — Don Shula becomes the first NFL coach to win 100 regular-season games in 10 seasons when the Miami Dolphins beat the New England Patriots 52-0.
1994 — Prairie View loses 52-7 to Jackson State, breaking an NCAA Division I-AA record with 45 straight losses. Columbia lost 44 straight from 1983-88.
1995 — Miami’s Dan Marino breaks Fran Tarkenton’s NFL career record of 47,003 yards passing with a 9-yard pass to Irving Fryar during the Dolphins’ 34-17 loss to the New England Patriots.
2006 — Indianapolis edges Buffalo 17-16 to become the first team to have consecutive 9-0 records.
2007 — Top-ranked Roger Federer loses consecutive matches for the first time in 4 1/2 years, falling to No. 7 Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 4-6, 7-6 (1), 7-5 at the Masters Cup.
2010 — Minnesota’s Kevin Love grabs a franchise-record 31 rebounds and scores 31 points, the NBA’s first 30-30 game in 28 years. Love grabs 15 rebounds in the third quarter alone. Moses Malone was the last player to have a 30-30 game — 32 points, 38 rebounds for Houston against Seattle in 1982.
2013 — Keith Dawson tips in a miss with less than six seconds left to give No. 2 Michigan State a 78-74 victory over top-ranked Kentucky. It’s the earliest meeting of 1 vs. 2 in AP poll history and the first since 2008.
2016 — Anthony Moeglin throws a 24-yard touchdown pass to William Woods with 39 seconds left to lift John Carroll to a 31-28 win over Mount Union. The loss ends the Purple Raiders’ NCAA-record 112-game regular-season winning streak. The Division III powerhouse hadn’t lost since Oct. 22, 2005.
2017 — Brittany Force becomes the NHRA’s first female Top Fuel season champion since Shirley Muldowney in 1982 in the season-ending Auto Club NHRA Finals. Force is the daughter of 16-time Funny Car champion John Force.
2019 — Former Houston Astros MLB pitcher Mike Fiers reveals the team secretly “stole signs” via camera from visiting teams.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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