PITTSBURGH - OCTOBER 17: Defensive lineman Derreck Robinson #67 of the Cleveland Browns looks on from the sideline during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on October 17, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Steelers defeated the Browns 28-10. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH - OCTOBER 17: Defensive lineman Derreck Robinson #67 of the Cleveland Browns looks on from the sideline during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on October 17, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Steelers defeated the Browns 28-10. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
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2004 doesn’t seem that long ago if I’m being honest. I know it’s been 21 years, but I can still remember the feeling of utter jubilation as I watched DRob, Roth, Babineaux, and Luebke, dominate OSU in Kinnick in 2004 from the basement of my Coralville townhouse (and the minor ire I felt for the two’s that day not keeping OSU out of the end zone to preserve the shutout).
I spent two years in that place on 14th St. watching Iowa football, often being played less than 5 miles away, still too poor after college (with Jr.‘s elder brother in diapers) to afford to buy a ticket to watch them in person. So when I saw the note about his passing in the BHGP Discord not long after I had returned home from moving Jr. into his dorm at ASU (for every beginning there is an end) it made me feel some kind of way. I spent two years on campus with DRob, and while I couldn’t tell you if we ever had a single class together, or even crossed paths in that time, I felt like I knew all of those guys, if only from afar.
Robinson was a Minneapolis kid who came to Iowa City in 2000 and became part of something truly special. From 2001-2004, when Robinson was suiting up in the black and gold, Iowa went 38-12 and won a share of two Big Ten titles. His final game as a Hawkeye was the 2005 Capital One Bowl against LSU – pretty sure we all remember that one - I still get goosebumps when I hear Dolph’s call.
What struck me most about Robinson’s passing was remembering his 2016 return to Iowa City. Robinson came to Iowa City to serve as the Honorary Captain for Iowa’s upset victory over second-ranked Michigan. DRob wasn’t playing anymore, he wasn’t coaching, he had returned to a normal life in San Diego working in real estate, he didn’t have to make that trip, but he did, because once a Hawkeye, always a Hawkeye.
In his pregame message, Robinson talked about being underdogs, secifically referencing Iowa’s 30-7 victory over Wisconsin in 2004 (a game that I watched alone, on a tiny little TV that had rather poor reception, in an upstairs bedroom at my (not quite) in-laws house in Butternut, Wisconsin). “Just like [Saturday’s] Michigan game; they thought coach [Kirk] Ferentz couldn’t do it and we did it — we whooped them pretty bad,” Robinson told the team. “When you’re an underdog and you whoop that team, it makes you feel good.”
That quote tells me everything I ever needed to know about Derreck Robinson. He understood what it meant to be a Hawkeye – the chip on the shoulder, the blue-collar mentality, the belief that you could beat anybody on any given Saturday. In that upset win over Wisconsin DRob had seven tackles, a quarterback hurry, and a forced fumble. He wasn’t just talking about being an underdog; he was doing the work to prove everyone wrong.
Robinson’s death hits particularly hard because 43 is no age to die. He should have had decades ahead of him to watch his Hawkeyes and tell his own kids about those magical teams he was part of. He should have had time, so much more time, and instead, we’re left with memories and the knowledge that another piece of Iowa football history has been taken from us far too soon.
Those 2001-2004 teams were the epitome of Iowa football under Kirk Ferentz. They weren’t the most talented teams in the country, but they found ways to win through preparation, execution, and sheer force of will. Robinson was part of that magic, part of teams that reminded us all why we became Hawkeye fans in the first place.
Rest in peace, DRob. Thank you for everything you gave to Iowa football, and thank you for showing us what it means to be a Hawkeye long after your playing days were over.
As always, GO HAWKS!!!