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Wide Receivers
A possessor of 23 years of coaching experience, Jimmy Robinson begins his third season as the Green Bay Packers' wide receivers coach.
Named to his position by Head Coach Mike McCarthy Jan. 17, 2006, Robinson brings a wealth of experience to the wide receiver corps. A proven and established tutor of some of the NFL's top receivers, Robinson worked with McCarthy while with New Orleans in 2004 when McCarthy was the Saints' offensive coordinator. Robinson is the 19th wide receivers coach in Packers history, joining a group that includes current NFL head coaches Tom Coughlin (1986-87) and Jon Gruden (1993-94), plus Hall of Famer Don Hutson (1944-48).
Entering his 25th season in the National Football League as a player or coach, Robinson's dedication to the fundamentals and focus on the "little things" has helped mold a mixture of veterans and younger players into a productive group over the past two years.
While veteran Donald Driver has gone to the Pro Bowl each of the past two seasons, setting career highs with 92 catches and 1,295 yards in 2006, Robinson also has been instrumental in the quick ascendance of youngsters Greg Jennings and James Jones.
Jennings went from second-round draft choice in 2006 to a Pro Football Weekly All-Rookie selection and then followed that up with a breakout 12-touchdown season in his second year. Jones, a third-round pick in 2007, made a seamless transition to the pro game that mirrored Jennings', catching 47 passes for 676 yards and two TDs last year as a rookie, statistics strikingly similar to those of Jennings' first season (45 catches, 632 yards, three TDs).
Young prospect Ruvell Martin also has emerged as a productive member in the offense's four- and five-receiver sets, as 15 of his 16 catches in 2007 produced either a first down or a touchdown.
Robinson spent two years (2004-05) with the Saints before coming to the Packers. In New Orleans, he built a group of receivers that became the most consistent members of the offense. In 2005, a season of significant adversity, Robinson helped elevate Donte Stallworth to career highs in receptions (70) and yards (945), along with seven TDs.
In his first year in New Orleans, 2004, Robinson guided Joe Horn, who tied a career best and matched the NFC lead with 94 receptions. Horn also established career highs and club records with 1,399 receiving yards and 11 TD catches. With eight 100-yard performances between them in '04, Horn and Stallworth combined to set a single-season record for the most times reaching that mark for a pair of Saints targets.
Prior to his time in New Orleans, Robinson spent six seasons (1998-2003) as the wide receivers coach for the New York Giants and steered that unit to the most successful seasons in club history. Under Robinson, Amani Toomer emerged to capture the Giants' franchise record for receiving yards. Toomer also posted single-season team marks with 82 catches and 1,387 yards in 2002. Toomer became the first player in Giants history to catch at least 70 passes in four straight years (1999-2002) and have five straight 1,000-yard seasons.
In 2001, Robinson's unit caught a team-record 186 passes for 2,680 yards and 15 touchdowns. Earlier, in 1999, Toomer and Ike Hilliard became the first pair of Giants receivers to combine to surpass 2,000 yards.
Robinson joined the Giants after four seasons (1994-97) heading up the Indianapolis receivers. In 1996 with the Colts, Robinson helped launch the career of Marvin Harrison, who became only the third rookie in club history to lead the team in receiving.
While coaching in a similar capacity with the Falcons (1990-93), Robinson guided some of the league's most exciting receivers during the early 1990s. In 1991, when the Falcons drafted Brett Favre, Robinson assisted Andre Rison and Michael Haynes to the top of the NFL's touchdown receptions list for a tandem. One year later, Rison and Mike Pritchard led the league again in the category.
The 55-year-old Robinson first entered the professional coaching ranks in 1984, when he joined then-rookie Reggie White as members of the United States Football League's Memphis Showboats. Robinson spent two seasons (1984-85) as the team's wide receivers/tight ends coach, beginning his career in the league's second year of operation.
Robinson returned to his alma mater, Georgia Tech, as wide receivers coach from 1987-89.
Originally selected by the Falcons in the 15th round of the 1975 NFL Draft, Robinson played 58 games during a six-year career with the New York Giants (1976-79), San Francisco 49ers (1980) and Denver Broncos (1981). He caught 85 career passes for 1,437 yards (16.9-yard avg.) and six touchdowns, and also returned 27 kickoffs and 59 punts.
His stint with New York was perhaps his most productive as a player. He led the club in receptions twice (1977-78) and scored the first touchdown in Giants Stadium on a 30-yard pass from Craig Morton against the Dallas Cowboys, Oct. 10, 1976.
A standout wide receiver as a collegian at Georgia Tech from 1971-74, Robinson recorded 101 catches for 1,633 yards and 13 touchdowns. The school inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 1981 and named him to the Yellow Jackets' all-time team in 1992. He earned a degree in industrial management from Georgia Tech in 1975.
Born in New York City, Robinson and his wife, Karen, have four children: Jamie, Jessica, Jim and Katie.
ROBINSON AT A GLANCE
- Joined Packers Jan. 17, 2006.
- In 16 NFL seasons prior to coming to Green Bay, tutored several top receivers, including Andre Rison, Michael Haynes, Marvin Harrison, Ike Hilliard, Joe Horn, Amani Toomer and Donte Stallworth.
- Drafted by Atlanta in 1975, played 58 games during a six-year NFL career with the New York Giants (1976-79), San Francisco 49ers (1980) and Denver Broncos (1981).
- Played wide receiver at Georgia Tech and was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 1981.
| Year | College/Pro Team | Position Coached |
| 1984-85 | Memphis Showboats (USFL) | Wide Receivers/TE |
| 1987-89 | Georgia Tech | Wide Receivers |
| 1990-93 | Atlanta Falcons | Wide Receivers |
| 1994-97 | Indianapolis Colts | Wide Receivers |
| 1998-2003 | New York Giants | Wide Receivers |
| 1998-2003 | New York Giants | Wide Receivers |
| 2004-05 | New Orleans Saints | Wide Receivers |
| 2006-08 | Green Bay Packers | Wide Receivers |