ABOUT THE CLUB
PRESS RELEASES
March 14, 2019
UCLA’S JERRY ROBINSON NAMED 2019 BRONKO NAGURSKI LEGENDS AWARD RECIPIENT
College Hall-of-Famer joins the growing list of honored college football legends
See the source imageCharlotte, N.C. March 13, 2019 – The Charlotte Touchdown Club in conjunction with the Football Writers Association of America proudly announces UCLA great Jerry Robinson as the recipient of the 2019 Bronko Nagurski Legends Award presented by Rolle Oral & Facial Surgery, which recognizes outstanding defensive football players from the past 40 years. The award will be presented formally during the annual Bronko Nagurski Trophy Awards Banquet on December 9, 2019.
“Wow! Just when you think that people have forgotten about those great players from back in the day, I received a phone call from Steve Richardson of the Football Writers Association of America congratulating me on being named the 2019 Bronko Nagurski Legends Award recipient. I was stunned and truly honored to receive this award because I know that Bronko Nagurski was one of the greatest football players ever and the annual award presented in his name goes to the best defensive player in college football,” said Jerry Robinson.
“Because of his many achievements on and off the gridiron, Jerry Robinson is an ideal choice for this year’s Bronko Nagurski Legends Award,” commented Dr. Richard R. Rolle, Jr. of Rolle Oral & Facial Surgery. “Having played college football at the University of Notre Dame under legendary coach Lou Holtz, I understand on a very personal level, the focus, commitment, and hard work it takes to be remembered as one of the game’s all-time greats. Congratulations from the entire staff of Rolle Oral & Facial Surgery to Jerry Robinson on this well-deserved honor.”
Robinson joins a growing list of prestigious Bronko Nagurski Legends Award recipients including: Alan Page, Bubba Smith, Ted Hendricks, Roger Wehrli, Mike McCoy, Jack Youngblood, Larry Jacobson, Randy Rhino, Randy White, Randy Gradishar, Chet Moeller, Ross Browner, and Tom Cousineau.
Jerry Robinson was a star athlete at Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa, California. He captained the football, basketball and track teams. He Robinson_Jerry4036ran the 100-yard dash in 9.5 seconds and high jumped 6 feet 5 inches. UCLA used him as a wide receiver his freshman year and moved him to inside linebacker just before the Rose Bowl game with Ohio State. As a linebacker, Robinson made All-American three times. He was a Consensus choice in 1976, Unanimous in 1977 and 1978. Robinson set a school record for most tackles (28) in a single game against Air Force in 1976. His career total 468 tackles, set a UCLA record. The Downtown Athletic Club of New York named him Linebacker of the Year (Now named the Dick Butkus Award) in 1977 and 1978.) He received the Pop Warner Award as Best West Coast player in 1978. Robinson stood 6-3, weighed 208, and wore jersey No. 84, which UCLA retired. His name and number is displayed in the Ring of Honor at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Robinson was named to the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame, as well as the College Football Hall of Fame. Jerry was also one of only 50 players to be named to The All-Century Pac 12 Team.
Robinson was selected in the first round of the 1979 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He played a total of 13 years in the NFL, six with the Philadelphia Eagles and seven with the Los Angeles Raiders. Robinson’s NFL awards and achievements include: NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year. Participant in Super Bowl XV (Philadelphia Eagles vs Oakland Raiders). 1987 Ed Block Courage Award. Four-time All-Pro Selection and participant in one Pro-Bowl.
Currently, Jerry Robinson is Vice President, Board of Directors for a nonprofit organization called Shoes4kidz and produces a podcast “People Doing Good” which highlights people doing good things in their neighborhoods.
About The Independence Fund
The Independence Fund is a nonprofit organization that empowers our nation’s severely wounded veterans and the caregivers who support them to take control of their lives. Through its dedicated mobility and treatment programs, the Fund assists veterans in transforming their lives toward a better future. The Independence Fund believes we owe it to our veterans to provide the resources they need to move forward and build a strong foundation toward lasting emotional and physical healing in order to reestablish their independence. To learn more, visit www.independencefund.org.
About Rolle Oral & Facial Surgery
Dr. Richard R. Rolle Jr. is a leading oral & maxillofacial surgeon, with strong ties to athletics and delivering excellence www.rolleoralfacialsurgery.com. Rolle Oral & Facial Surgery offers expertise in: dental implants, wisdom tooth extraction, youth-capturing, cosmetic injectables, oral surgery, and cleft lip reconstruction in his Lake Norman, North Carolina practice. Dr. Rolle holds a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame where he played varsity football under legendary Coach Lou Holtz. He completed his oral surgery internship at Harvard’s Massachusetts General Hospital and holds a Doctor of Dental Surgery from Meharry Medical College. Rolle Oral & Facial Surgery is the official surgeon for the Charlotte Hornets, Charlotte Checkers, and Charlotte 49ers.
The Charlotte Touchdown Club is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 1990 for the purpose of promoting high school, collegiate, and professional football in the Charlotte, North Carolina region. Since its inception, the club has grown as well as diversified boasting a sponsor team of more than (80) companies. The Club’s activities and services focus community attention on the outstanding Citizenship, Scholarship, Sportsmanship, and Leadership of area athletes and coaches. Through individual and corporate support, more than $2,000,000 has been raised to benefit the Touchdown Club’s scholarship efforts.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of the men and women across North America who cover college football for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters, and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game day operations, major awards and an All-America team. Through its website, the FWAA works to improve communication among all those who work within the game. The FWAA also sponsors scholarships for aspiring writers and an annual writing contest. Behind the leadership of President David Jones and Executive Director Steve Richardson and a board of veteran journalists, the FWAA continues to grow and work to help college football prosper at all levels. There are now over 1,000 members.
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which was founded in 1997 as a coalition of the major collegiate football awards to protect, preserve and enhance the integrity, influence, and prestige of the game’s predominant awards. The NCFAA encourages professionalism and the highest standards for the administration of its member awards and the selection of their candidates and recipients. For more information, visit the association’s official website, www.NCFAA.org.
The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is presented annually by the Charlotte Touchdown Club and the Football Writers Association of America to the nation’s most outstanding NCAA defensive football player at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet in Charlotte, N.C. All proceeds benefit the Charlotte Touchdown Club Scholarship Fund. For more information call 704-347-2918 or www.touchdownclub.mysites.io.