E.C. Robinson turned 80 earlier this month. He was head coach at Locke Excessive when Darian Hagen and Sirr Parker had been standout Metropolis Part soccer gamers within the Eighties and Nineties. Then he went to educate at College.
Now one among his sons, Bryan, is head coach at College, with one other son, Jason, the offensive coordinator, and he’s serving as a proud “consultant.”
Collectively, they’re making an attempt to resurrect a College program that was all the way down to lower than 25 gamers three years in the past. The roster has elevated to greater than 70, with the return of a junior varsity group, and the Robinsons are dedicated to “restoring pride” in this system.
College coach Bryan Robinson (left) and brother Jason Robinson, an assistant, with their father, 80-year-old EC Robinson, a former Locke and College coach.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Instances)
It’s a real Los Angeles story, with Bryan calling it “about homecoming, mentorship and generational impact.”
Like his father, Bryan turned a instructor. He has been making frequent visits to Emerson Center Faculty, the feeder college for College, making an attempt to persuade college students to come back out for soccer.
When he was enjoying some 20 years in the past, most of his classmates began in youth soccer. Nowadays he should educate from scratch, exhibiting youngsters easy methods to placed on shoulder pads, block and deal with.
“It’s not a lot of guys who’ve played,” he mentioned. “It’s fun but also challenging. I get to instill all our football knowledge while they are raw.”
Bruce Davis, a former UCLA All-American linebacker who went on to win the Tremendous Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers, can be on the teaching employees.
“My brother, coach Davis and I are big on development,” Bryan mentioned. “We’re not just herding them out there. We’re really spending time fine-tuning these athletes, really developing them so they can compete on a higher level.
University quarterback Jeremy Pacheco (left) and defensive back Tareq Abdul.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
The team won its opening game against Lincoln 21-19, with junior Tareq Abdul making two interceptions and sophomore linebacker D’Elliott Jones contributing 12 tackles. Quarterback Jeremy Pacheco returned from a knee injury in 2024 to throw a touchdown pass.
This past week, University improved to 2-0 with a 19-8 win over Fremont. Abdul had another interception, returning it for a touchdown.
EC Robinson said the game has changed since the 1980s, when the focus was on running the football. Now passing is prominent, even in youth football.
He largely stays in the background, observing and offering advice when needed.
“I did a lot when they first got the job a couple years ago,” he mentioned. “I wanted to make sure they were doing the right things with the kids. Paperwork is a big issue, making sure the kids are cleared. During the game, I monitor when you call a timeout. I’m trying to make sure they learn practice structure.”
It’s fairly enjoyable when your father is serving as a mentor and is shut by to reply questions on a recreation he has taught for many years.
As Bryan mentioned, “We’re not just building a team — we’re restoring pride in a program with deep roots in Los Angeles football history.”
