J Robinson, 64, served in Vietnam and has coached three national championship Gophers wrestling teams. He formed a philosophy about life while serving with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam and his beliefs are still entrenched.
“You gotta have a philosophy about life,” he said. “You gotta have rules, and then those rules guide what you do.
“You make all your decisions based on those guidelines. Rule No. 1 is understand who you work for. If you’re in it for 90 percent, and they’re in it for 40 percent, you ain’t ever going over 40 percent.
“Rule No. 2 is understand who you’re against, or who the enemy is. If they’re willing to fight for 25 years, and you’re only willing to fight for 24 years and 11 months, you’re going to lose.
“Rule No. 3 is let the other side dictate the rules and then play by them. And rule No. 4 is don’t take any job where your decisions don’t control the outcome.”
Robinson draws a comparison between the Vietnam War and the fight in Afghanistan. “All the guys that went there (Vietnam) went for the right seasons, but the politicians stopped them,” he said. “It’s the same thing that’s going on now.”
Robinson, who has been head wrestling coach at the University since 1986, includes striving for excellence on a daily basis as part of his philosophy.
A former Olympic wrestler, Robinson was also an assistant Olympic coach. In addition to his national titles, his teams have won six Big Ten championships.
The Gophers, among the top rated teams in the country, open their schedule in Fargo on November 13 at the Bison Open.