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July 3, 2001
Three and a half months after leading the Golden Gophers to the 2001 NCAA Wrestling Championship, University of Minnesota Head Coach J Robinson has been named the 2001 Dan Gable Coach of the Year by the W.I.N. Magazine.
"To get something with Dan's name on it makes it very special for me," Robinson said when he was notified of winning the top coaching award. "This was a different kind of breakthrough year for us. It was like a story book."
Robinson guided the Maroon and Gold grapplers to the school's first NCAA wrestling title in record-setting fashion. Minnesota won the national crown utilizing a full-team effort to earn an NCAA-record 10 All-Americans. It was the first time in the 71-year history of the NCAA Championships that 10 wrestlers earned the prestigious All-American honor in one NCAA tournament. In addition, no team in the history of the national tournament had won the team title without a finalist, but Gold Country captured the national crown despite not placing a wrestler in the championship matches.
Minnesota finished the 2000-01 season as the number one ranked dual team with a 19-1 record and won titles at Midlands, National Duals and the Big Ten Championships. Robinson's team also excelled off the mat as they placed three wrestlers on the NWCA All-Academic Team.
During his 15-year tenure at Minnesota, Robinson has a 219-81-3 (.728) overall record and a mark of 74-41-2 (.641) in Big Ten dual meets. Under his watch, 32 wrestlers have earned 56 All-America honors and 11 Golden Gophers have won 17 Big Ten individual titles.