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© 2025 COLD WIRE MEDIA. THE COLD WIRE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF COLD WIRE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USE OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OUR TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

The Life And Career Of Eugene Robinson

Ben Donahue
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The Life And Career Of Eugene Robinson

 

In 1985, Eugene Robinson realized a dream when he made the roster of the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent.

The rookie safety from Colgate didn’t start any games that season, but he did haul in two interceptions.

One year later, Robinson started all 16 games for Seattle and embarked on a career where he became one of the best ball-hawks in the NFL.

During his time in the Pacific Northwest, Robinson consistently put himself in situations to turn the tide of a game.

In 1992, he made his first Pro Bowl after intercepting seven passes.

Then, in 1993, Robinson led the NFL with an astounding nine picks, leading to another Pro Bowl.

The safety became a member of the Green Bay Packers in 1996 and promptly helped the franchise reach two Super Bowls, winning one.

He then signed with the Atlanta Falcons in 1998 and inexplicably led a talented roster to their own title game.

Unfortunately, that’s where Robinson’s tale took an unexpected, and embarrassing, detour.

The night before Super Bowl XXXIII, he was arrested for soliciting a prostitute.

Earlier that same day, Robinson had received the NFL’s Bart Starr Award, given to the player who best displays outstanding character.

Robinson’s name and reputation may have been tarnished that day, but he has not let the mistake define his life.

This is the story of Eugene Robinson.

 

Well-Rounded Kid from Connecticut

Eugene Keefe Robinson was born on May 28, 1963, in Hartford, Connecticut.

When he was young, Robinson tried to play as many sports as he could, but soon found that his lack of height was an issue.

This was especially true when he attempted to play basketball and was consistently rebuffed by older kids.

“Because I stunk,” Robinson said in 1997. “I was so small, the kids used to take my ball away from me. Then they’d let me shoot a few baskets when they were taking a break. When I was growing up in Hartford, I was always the underdog.”

Although hoops weren’t his forte, just about everything else was.

Robinson held his own on the football field as a youngster and continued to play smart, aggressive ball as a player at Weaver High School in Hartford.

When he wasn’t on the field, Robinson wrestled, played the saxophone, and got all A’s in his classes.

His love of contact on the gridiron showed on the wrestling mats for the Beavers.

“Eugene always had that killer instinct,” said Robinson’s brother, Sam. “When he was in the 10th grade, he wrestled at 110 pounds for Weaver. Then he grew to about 175 in about a year.”

With all that talent, one might expect Robinson to get a little cocky and call opponents out by talking trash.

However, that simply wasn’t his style.

“But I remember, Eugene never used profanity” said former Weaver teammate Arnold Kennedy. “He always used big words, we used to call him `The Dictionary.’ When somebody like his brother made a mistake and made him mad, he would never use profanity. He would just use even bigger words.”

 

Colgate

Robinson might have been a big man on the Weaver campus, but the football programs at large colleges had no idea he existed.

That led him on a different path by attending and playing sports for an Ivy League school.

“Nobody was recruiting me (out of Weaver High School in Hartford, Conn.),” said Robinson in 1998. “In my senior season our record was 1-8. I was maybe 150 pounds. Nobody noticed that I had lots of heart and was a big hitter. My grades were good but not quite Ivy League. Brown University turned me down. Going to Colgate was God’s plan for me.”

Still on the small side after arriving on campus, Robinson was picked on by his teammates because he could not lift 170 pounds on the bench press.

The slights mattered little to him as Robinson knew he had what it took to succeed.

“I’ll see you on the field,” he’d tell them.

In 1982 Robinson was named a starter for the Red Raiders, who were playing in I-AA for the first year ever.

The team went 8-4 and advanced to the I-AA quarterfinals to play the University of Delaware before losing.

In 1983 Robinson was again a starter and Colgate repeated with an 8-4 record and loss to Western Carolina in the first round of the playoffs.

 

Senior Year

After posting two-year totals of 34 tackles and one interception, Robinson was surprisingly not a starter as a senior.

However, he still saw plenty of playing time for the 5-5 Red Raiders.

Now 6’0” and roughly 180 pounds soaking wet, Robinson made plays everywhere and racked up 52 tackles and picked off two passes.

During his time at Colgate, Robinson continued to compete for the school as a wrestler, which honed his tackling skills.

When his college days ended, Robinson graduated with a degree in computer science and had a steady girlfriend named Gia, who would eventually become his wife.

In 2009, Robinson was inducted into the Colgate Red Raiders Hall of Honor.

 

Robinson Sticks as a Free Agent

Robinson didn’t draw much attention from NFL franchises before the 1985 draft and every team passed on him during the event.

Not long after the conclusion of the draft, the Seattle Seahawks gave Robinson a call and invited him to come to Washington.

Seattle didn’t actually expect him to make it.

Robinson was a bit too slow to cover NFL receivers as a corner and was believed to be too small to play safety.

The rookie would not be denied, though, and used his intelligence and high football IQ to make significant plays throughout the 1985 preseason.

By the end of training camp, the long shot made the final roster and Robinson realized his goal of being an NFL player.

Throughout the ‘85 season, Robinson suited up for every game and made 28 tackles and two interceptions as a backup.

In 1986, he was named a starter and played alongside fellow secondary mates Kenny Easley and Dave Brown.

The veterans taught Robinson an important part of the game for his position.

“A lot of defensive backs are satisfied just to knock the ball away,” Robinson said. “Or to make a big tackle. I want to get the ball. That’s what Kenny Easley and Dave Brown always told me. `Don’t just go for the big hit — get the ball.”‘

The tutoring Robinson received was evident in his 99 tackles and three picks at season’s end.

 

Model of Consistency

In 1987 and 1988, the Seahawks made the playoffs under head coach Chuck Knox but lost in the ‘87 wild-card round to the Houston Oilers and the ‘88 divisional round to Cincinnati.

Robinson had four interceptions combined during that time and collected a career-high 115 tackles in 1988.

Then, beginning in 1989, Seattle went through a horrendous period of losing football.

Knox was fired after seven wins in 1991 and replaced by former Raiders coach (and Seahawks general manager from 1989-1991) Tom Flores in 1992.

Flores was canned in 1994 after winning only 14 games in three seasons.

Despite the constant losing, Robinson showed up for work every day.

He started nearly every game during this time and piled up tackles and interceptions in bunches.

In 1989 Robinson had five interceptions then five more in 1991.

While the Seahawks were sinking with two wins in 1992, Robinson had seven interceptions and was finally named to his first Pro Bowl.

One year later, the Seahawks won six times while Robinson led the NFL with nine picks (also a career-best) and added two sacks, three forced fumbles, and 111 total tackles.

His outstanding ability was on full display during a Week 11 date with the Cleveland Browns.

During the contest, Robinson grabbed two picks, forced two fumbles, and made two interceptions in Seattle’s 22-5 win.

A second Pro Bowl and a second-team All-Pro nod awaited him at the end of the year.

“When I first saw him, I thought, `well, this is a good player,’” said Flores. “But through hard work he took himself to the next level. He made himself a Pro Bowl player.”

 

Trade to Green Bay

Defensive back Eugene Robinson of the Green Bay Packers looks on during a game
Mandatory Credit: Todd Warshaw /Allsport

 

In 1995, former University of Miami head coach Dennis Erickson was named the Seahawks’ new coach.

An 8-8 record followed as Robinson had one pick and 105 tackles.

By then, Robinson and Gia, now his wife, had made a nice home in Seattle and were raising two kids.

Along with his day job as a professional football player, Robinson was a part owner of “Intermix Records,” a record company that primarily promoted jazz bands.

The safety also went above and beyond in his involvement with local charities and was the Seahawks’ resident player/preacher, often leading Bible studies for his teammates.

“I remember he used to say he wanted to be a football player and a preacher,” his father said.

His life changed drastically in June 1996 when Seattle and the Green Bay Packers made a trade, Robinson for Packers defensive end Matt LaBounty.

 

Fitting in Perfectly

Eugene Robinson #41 of the Green Bay Packers carries the football

 

The trade raised eyebrows as Robinson was 33 years old and had suffered an Achilles injury in 1994.

He came back strong and started every game of the 1995 season for the Seahawks.

Still, why did Green Bay need an old safety?

It turned out that Reggie White, the Packers’ “Minister of Defense,” had pitched the idea to Robinson in the offseason.

“I’m praying for you, Eugene,” White told him, “I’m praying for you to come to Green Bay.”

Initially, Robinson scoffed at the idea.

“Reggie, don’t pray for that, pray for my children to be safe. It’s cold in Green Bay.”

It didn’t take much convincing, however, as Seattle was a long way from playoff contention.

The Packers, on the other hand, had just lost in the 1995 NFC Championship game to the Dallas Cowboys.

“This team was 10 minutes from the Super Bowl,” said Robinson, noting that Green Bay had been leading Dallas in the fourth quarter of their playoff game. “In Seattle, we were always struggling to finish 8-8 or 9-7 and maybe make the playoffs. Suddenly, the dream of going to the Super Bowl was very tangible to me.”

With a roster that included quarterback Brett Favre, White, Robinson, and fellow safety LeRoy Butler, Green Bay tore through the regular season.

A 13-3 record was complemented by Robinson’s six interceptions (tied for second in the NFC) and 81 tackles.

 

Robinson and the Packers Win it All

In the playoffs, Green Bay beat San Francisco (a game in which Robinson had two interceptions) and Carolina for the right to meet the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI.

During the game, the Packers hit the ground running and were leading 27-14 at halftime.

Shortly after the Patriots closed the gap to 27-21 in the third quarter, White pulled Robinson aside and asked for help.

“Geno,” White told Robinson, “I’m tired. I feel like I just can’t get off. I feel like I’m trying too hard.”

Thinking quickly, Robinson quoted a Bible verse to White and “The Minister” looked reborn.

In the third and fourth quarters, White nailed Pats quarterback Drew Bledsoe for three total sacks as the Packers won 35-21.

It was the franchise’s first world title since Super Bowl II.

Robinson played extremely well and led the Pack with nine tackles.

“It worked out pretty well,” Robinson said in 2006. “We had an absolute crew.”

 

Just Short of a Repeat

There was no slowing down the Packers, and in 1997, the team repeated their 13-3 record from the year before.

On the field, Robinson played like a young buck and had 112 tackles (the second-highest total of his career) and one interception.

In the playoffs, Green Bay took care of Tampa Bay in the divisional round before heading across the country for a showdown against the San Francisco 49ers.

Although the Pack was on foreign soil, the team took care of business.

After taking a 3-0 lead, Robinson intercepted Niners quarterback Steve Young.

He was tackled following a long return and Green Bay scored again two plays later.

By the end of the day, San Francisco couldn’t keep up, especially in the nasty, rainy weather, and fell, 27-10.

The Packers returned to the world championship game to face John Elway and the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII.

Robinson’s bunch was favored by 11 points before the game, but the Broncos kept pace.

In the third quarter, Robinson jumped in front of an Elway pass to prevent the Broncos from increasing their 24-17 lead.

Green Bay scored on the following drive to tie the game at 24-all.

Then, Denver scored late in the fourth quarter to re-take the lead, 31-24.

The Pack got the ball back and tried desperately to march down the field.

Favre faced 4th-and-six at the Broncos’ 31-yard line, but a pass intended for tight end Mark Chmura was batted away.

Green Bay was thwarted from repeating as champs and Denver won its first-ever Super Bowl.

 

On to Atlanta

Eugene Robinson #41 of the Atlanta Falcons puts on his helmet

 

Not long after the loss, Robinson signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Falcons.

Atlanta needed a solid veteran as the franchise had won only seven games the year prior.

As luck would have it, Robinson joined a team that was poised to break out.

The roster was full of good players including quarterback Chris Chandler, running back Jamal Anderson, and defenders Chuck Smith, Jessie Tuggle, Cornelius Bennett, and Ray Buchanan.

A 5-2 start paved the way for a nine-game win streak to end the regular season.

The Falcons’ 14-2 record was easily the best in franchise history.

Robinson, a team captain, was voted to his third Pro Bowl after 68 tackles, four interceptions, and his first career pick-six.

He then took great joy in helping to eliminate San Francisco for the third season in a row, this time in the divisional round.

In the NFC Championship game, the long-shot Falcons improbably beat the 15-1 Minnesota Vikings in their building.

Robinson broke up a sure touchdown pass to Vikings star rookie receiver Randy Moss during the contest.

Incredibly, Robinson was about to play in his third consecutive Super Bowl.

 

Arrested 

The day before the big game, Robinson received the NFL’s Bart Starr Award given to the player who best displays outstanding character on the field, at home, and in the community.

He happily accepted the award, and his family was in attendance.

Then, later that evening, Robinson purposefully made his way to a seedy part of Miami, where the game was being held, and solicited a prostitute.

Little did he know that the “prostitute” was actually an undercover police officer who arrested Robinson on the spot.

As he was taken to jail, word quickly spread amongst the NFL community and the media took the story and ran with it.

Around 11 PM, Robinson was bailed out of the clink by the Falcons’ general manager, and the safety returned to the team hotel to face his family.

Early the next morning, Robinson made a statement to the media.

“I really believe and strongly believe I will be found innocent in this deal,” Robinson said. “However, I’m not righteous in this deal. I know a lot of people are saying that I’m just another hypocritical Christian,” Robinson said. “I deserve that.”

Then, before heading to the stadium, Robinson returned the Bart Starr Award.

 

Robinson Struggles Against Denver

Denver Broncos helmet
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

 

To say that Robinson struggled in Super Bowl XXXIII is an understatement.

He missed some tackles that were normally routine and gave up an 80-yard touchdown to Denver receiver Rod Smith late in the second quarter.

The score put the Broncos ahead 17-3.

Later in the contest, when Denver already had the game in hand, Robinson whiffed on a tackle attempt on running back Terrell Davis near the Broncos’ sideline.

As he got up, several of the Denver players couldn’t resist.

“You look a little tired, Eugene. Up late last night?”

Atlanta scored a late touchdown in the fourth quarter, but the Falcons were already cooked.

Broncos quarterback John Elway had a second consecutive world title with the 34-19 win.

After the game, Robinson tried to downplay his ugly performance.

“I was extremely focused on the game today. It didn’t affect my play because (the game) was pretty much therapeutic,” said Robinson.

With the MVP trophy in his hand, Elway made his own assessment of the Robinson saga.

“…a major tragedy that must have affected his game, because there’s no doubt he was embarrassed. The whole team had to deal with it, and that cost them. I know from experience—and it took me a while to learn this—that the whole deal with the Super Bowl is keeping your focus on football, and Mike [Shanahan] does a great job of keeping us away from the hype,” Elway said.

 

Robinson Retires

Retirement

 

Instead of slinking away from the embarrassment he created at the Super Bowl and retiring, Robinson returned to Atlanta in 1999.

The Falcons didn’t have their mojo from the year before and went 5-11.

In his 15th season, Robinson started all 16 games, made 92 tackles and picked off three passes.

Following the ‘99 season, the Carolina Panthers reached out and signed Robinson to a contract for 2000.

He was joined by White, who had been retired in 1999 but decided to return for one more year.

While Robinson started all 16 games again and collected one interception, recovered three fumbles, and made 77 tackles, Carolina went 7-9.

Not long after the season’s conclusion, he retired.

During his 16-year career, Robinson had 1,413 total tackles, 7.5 sacks, 22 fumble recoveries, 15 forced fumbles, and intercepted 57 passes for 762 return yards and one pick-six.

Remarkably, he had at least one interception each year of his career.

Robinson was a three-time Pro Bowler, one-time All-Pro, NFL interception leader once, and played in three Super Bowls, winning one.

He has since been named to the Seattle Seahawks’ 35th Anniversary Team.

 

Life Since Retirement

After retiring from the NFL, Robinson and his family stayed in the Charlotte area.

From 2002 through 2018, he was the color analyst for the Carolina Panthers Radio Network.

Before the Panthers played in Super Bowl 50 at the end of the 2015 season, Robinson asked to speak with the team.

He was candid and did not shy away from his embarrassing moment years earlier.

“Guys, you’ve got a great opportunity,” Robinson said. “Go ahead and seize the moment. Don’t be like me. I allowed my faith to be derailed,” he said. “Sin is so deceptive. Little steps along the way get you to a place you never thought you’d be.”

After speaking, many of the Panthers, including then-head coach Ron Rivera, appreciated Robinson’s message.

“I think it’s one of the bravest things I have ever seen a guy do,” said Rivera. “For him to step up and relive that, to tell the guys that he was wrong and [that he forgot] the reason he was there, that’s a huge message … a great message.”

That same year, Robinson joined the morning show Charlotte Today on WCNC-TV.

For the past few decades, the former safety has also coached football, wrestling and track at Charlotte Christian High School.

 

References

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1998/01/22/robinson-talks-big-plays-big/

www.courant.com

https://vault.si.com/vault/1999/02/08/saturday-night-fever

https://vault.si.com/vault/1999/02/08/the-magnificent-7-the-gunslinger-from-out-west-john-elway-cut-down-the-falcons-in-rapid-fire-fashion-to-give-the-broncos-their-second-straight-super-bowl-title

https://www.packers.com/news/packers-safety-now-belongs-to-knights-and-panthers-2451006

https://www.packers.com/news/playoff-playback-packers-defeat-49ers-in-1997-nfc-championship-game

https://www.wcnc.com/article/about-us/team-bios/eugene-robinson/275-49519431

https://www.si.com/nfl/seahawks/seahawks-news/seattle-seahawks-top-100-countdown-legion-of-boom-spotlighted-in-no-20-11

https://www.seahawks.com/news/on-this-date-eugene-robinson-does-it-all-in-defense-fueled-victory-139096

https://colgateathletics.com/honors/hall-of-honor/eugene-robinson/195

https://www.espn.com/nfl/playoffs98/news/1999/990130/01077118.html

billygraham.org

https://www.ajc.com/sports/football/years-later-falcon-eugene-robinson-not-running-from-memory/BOhXy3Blm9xUMLI7JtRPHK/

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/RobiEu00.htm

https://www.sportskeeda.com/nfl/why-falcons-safety-eugene-robinson-arrested-super-bowl-xxxiii

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Ben Donahue
Contributor at Pro Football History
Over 25 years of experience in sports including coach, athletic director, game day operations, media relations, football operations, and scout. He is [...]

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