View source for Arnie Robinson

{{Short description|American athlete (1948–2020)}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name           = Arnie Robinson
| image          = Arnie Robinson 1972.jpg
| caption        = Robinson in 1972
| birth_name     = <!--if different-->
| birth_date     = {{birth date|1948|4|7}}
| birth_place    = [[San Diego]], [[California]], U.S.
| death_date     = {{death date and age|2020|12|1|1948|4|7}}
| death_place    = San Diego, California, U.S.
| headercolor    = lightsteelblue
|sport=Athletics
|club=Maccabi Track Club, Los Angeles
|event=[[High jump]], [[long jump]], [[triple jump]]
|pb=HJ – 2.08 m (1971)<br>LJ – 8.35 m (1976)<br>TJ – 15.54 m (1971)<ref name=sr/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://trackfield.brinkster.net/Profile.asp?ID=5633&Gender=M |title='Arnie' Paul Robinson Jr. |website=trackfield.brinkster.net}}</ref>
|height=188 cm
|weight=74 kg
| show-medals    = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Athletics at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Munich]]|[[Athletics at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Men's long jump|Long jump]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Montreal]]|[[Athletics at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Men's long jump|Long jump]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Pan American Games]]}}
{{MedalGold| [[1971 Pan American Games|1971 Cali]] | [[Athletics at the 1971 Pan American Games|Long jump]]}}
{{MedalSilver| [[1975 Pan American Games|1975 Mexico City]] | [[Athletics at the 1975 Pan American Games|Long jump]]}}
}}
'''Arnie Paul Robinson Jr.''' (April 7, 1948 – December 1, 2020) was an American athlete. He won a bronze medal in the [[long jump]] at the 1972 Olympics and a gold medal in 1976.<ref name=sr>{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ro/arnie-robinson-1.html |title=Arnie Robinson |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417174749/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ro/arnie-robinson-1.html |archive-date=2020-04-17}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Arnie Paul Robinson Jr. was born in San Diego in 1948.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hauser |first=Christine |last2=Opam |first2=Kwame |date=December 9, 2020 |orig-date=December 9, 2020 |title=Arnie Robinson Jr., Olympic Long Jump Champion, Dies at 72 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/09/sports/arnie-robinson-dead-covid.html |url-status=live |access-date=2025-01-14 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=San Diego Hall of Champions |url=https://sandiegohistory.org/collection/photographs/champions/ |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=San Diego History Center {{!}} San Diego, CA {{!}} Our City, Our Story |language=en-US}}</ref> His mother, Verneater Robinson, worked as a volunteer at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in San Diego.

Robinson stayed in the San Diego area throughout his career, first at [[Samuel F. B. Morse High School]], then [[San Diego Mesa College]] and [[San Diego State University]], where he was the 1970 [[NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship|NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Champion]] in the long jump.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Hauser|first=Christine|last2=Opam|first2=Kwame|date=2020-12-09|title=Arnie Robinson Jr., Olympic Long Jump Champion, Dies at 72|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/09/sports/arnie-robinson-dead-covid.html|access-date=2020-12-20|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==Athletic career==
The following year, in 1971, Robinson won his first [[USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships]] title, representing the San Diego Track Club. That qualified him to go to the Athletics at the 1971 Pan American Games, where he won the gold medal. In 1972, he won the USA Championships again, this time representing the U.S. Army. This was the first time he qualified for the Olympic team, winning the [[United States Olympic Trials (track and field)|Olympic trials]]. In Munich that year, he was third in the Olympics behind youngster [[Randy Williams]], who was setting the still standing [[List of junior world records in athletics|World Junior Record]] in the long jump. Starting in 1975, Robinson won four straight USA Outdoor Championships, representing an assortment of clubs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legacy.usatf.org/statistics/champions/USAOutdoorTF/men/mLJ.asp |title=Statistics – USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions |publisher=USATF |access-date=2010-12-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611193330/http://www.usatf.org/statistics/champions/USAOutdoorTF/men/mLJ.asp |archive-date=2011-06-11 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The 1975 championship qualified Robinson to again go to the Pan Am Games, where he won the silver medal behind the first of four jumping gold medals for [[João Carlos de Oliveira]] of [[Brazil]]. In 1976, he bested Williams in both the Olympic trials<ref>Hymans, R. (2008) [http://www.legacy.usatf.org/statistics/champions/OlympicTrials/HistoryOfTheOlympicTrials.pdf The History of the United States Olympic Trials – Track & Field] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160327114422/http://www.usatf.org/statistics/champions/OlympicTrials/HistoryOfTheOlympicTrials.pdf |date=2016-03-27 }}. USA Track & Field</ref> and the Olympics, taking home the gold medal and a career best 8.35m jump. In 1977, his National Championship qualified him to go to the first ever [[IAAF Continental Cup|World Cup]] meet in [[Düsseldorf]], where he again took home gold.

He won the British [[AAA Championships]] title in the long jump event at the [[1980 AAA Championships]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nuts.org.uk/Champs/AAA/index.htm |title=AAA, WAAA and National Championships Medallists |website=National Union of Track Statisticians |access-date=12 June 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gbrathletics.com/bc/aaa.htm |title=AAA Championships (men) |website=GBR Athletics |access-date=12 June 2025}}</ref>

==Teaching career==
As of 2005, he was teaching physical education courses at [[San Diego Mesa College|Mesa College]] in [[San Diego]]. He was previously the head track coach at [[San Diego Mesa College|Mesa College]], starting in 1982.

== Honors ==
In 2000, Robinson was inducted into the [[USATF]] [[National Track and Field Hall of Fame]]. He was voted into the San Diego Sport Association's Breitbard Hall of Fame in 1984, and the California Community College Athletic Association Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2007.<ref name=":0" />

On April 13, 2013, San Diego Mesa College honored Robinson by naming their Invitational (Arnie Robinson Invite hosted in San Diego at Mesa College)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sdtrackmag.com/2013Track/Robinson/ArnieRobinson2013.pdf |title=Arnie Robinson Invitational Saturday April 13, 2013 |website=sdtrackmag.com}}</ref> after him, and presenting him<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131029204838/http://aliamaria94.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/arnie-robinson-meet/ Arnie Robinson Meet]. wordpress.com (2013-04-24)</ref> with an award.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sandiegorunners.com/Sports/Middle-School-Track/2013-T/28749822_5fMH7q#!i=2458825199&k=Fgghksp |title=2013 Honoring Arnie Robinson |website=sandiegorunners.com |access-date=2013-10-27 |archive-date=2016-05-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160520145616/http://www.sandiegorunners.com/Sports/Middle-School-Track/2013-T/28749822_5fMH7q#!i=2458825199&k=Fgghksp |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Personal life ==
In 2000, Robinson was seriously injured in an auto accident<ref>{{cite web|title=Hall of Fame|url=http://www.legacy.usatf.org/halloffame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=136|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110106165530/http://www.usatf.org/HallOfFame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=136|archivedate=6 January 2011|access-date=2010-12-28|publisher=USATF}}</ref> when a drunk driver hit his car. After he recovered, he became the coach of the USA Track & Field long jump team at the 2003 world championships.

In 2005, he was diagnosed with a form of brain cancer, [[glioblastoma]], and was told he would only live another six months.

Later in life, Robinson took up a new hobby, building houses.

His first marriage to Cynthia Eley ended in divorce. He has a son, Paul, born shortly before Robinson retired from competing. He had three sisters and a younger brother who died in 2011.<ref name=":0" />

===Death===
Robinson began having trouble breathing and excessive coughing around mid-November 2020. He died on December 1, 2020, at the age of 72, after contracting [[COVID-19]] during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in San Diego]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Coronado|first=Lauren|date=2021-01-11|title=San Diego Olympic Gold Medalist Arnie Robinson Jr. Dies Battling COVID|url=https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/coronavirus/san-diego-olympic-gold-medalist-arnie-robinson-jr-dies-battling-covid/2493157/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112030100/https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/coronavirus/san-diego-olympic-gold-medalist-arnie-robinson-jr-dies-battling-covid/2493157/ |archive-date=2021-01-12 |access-date=2021-10-25|website=NBC 7 San Diego|language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{World Athletics}}
* {{USATF Hall of Fame|id=136}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-sports}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|USA}} [[James McAlister]]|title=[[Long jump#Men's Seasons Best (Outdoor)|Men's Long Jump Best Year Performance]]|years=1974|after={{flagicon|YUG}} [[Nenad Stekić]]}}
{{succession box|before={{flagicon|YUG}} [[Nenad Stekić]]|title=[[Long jump#Men's Seasons Best (Outdoor)|Men's Long Jump Best Year Performance]]|years=1976|after={{flagicon|YUG}} [[Nenad Stekić]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions Long Jump Men}}
{{Footer Pan American Champions Long Jump Men}}
{{Footer IAAF World Cup Champions Long Jump Men}}
{{USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners in men's long jump}}
{{Footer US NC long jump Men}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 1972 Summer Olympics}}
{{Footer USA Track & Field 1976 Summer Olympics}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Arnie}}
[[Category:1948 births]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:American male long jumpers]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field]]
[[Category:Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in California]]
[[Category:Track and field athletes from San Diego]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:San Diego State Aztecs men's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:FISU World University Games silver medalists for the United States]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1970 Summer Universiade]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1971 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1975 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1971 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field)]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:San Diego Mesa College alumni]]
[[Category:NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners]]