SYRACUSE - Greg Robinson wore orange to his bittersweet final public moment at Syracuse.
“I really, really like my job. I love it, every minute of it,” Robinson, sporting a familiar shirt with an orange tint, said Tuesday at his final press conference. “I've been very fortunate.”
When athletic director Daryl Gross fired Robinson the day after the Orange had been beaten 39-14 at home by Big East rival Connecticut, Robinson said he wasn't surprised. His players responded by upsetting Notre Dame 24-23 the following week in South Bend on national television, providing Robinson with the crowning moment of his four years as head coach.
Robinson, who had one year left on a contract that pays $1.5 million a year, leaves with a 10-37 overall record and 3-26 mark in the Big East.
And he leaves grudgingly.
“I'm sick to my stomach that it's done. That's the biggest regret. Pulling boxes into my office, that's ugly,” Robinson said. “It isn't what I didn't get done. It's that it's not finished. I don't want to quit the fight. I want to keep fighting. I'd like that last year.”
Robinson, with wife Laura and son Dominic watching from the back of the room, also said it was especially difficult because of the ties that he and his family had made to the central New York region. Dominic served as a graduate assistant on the team for two years.
“She (Laura) has embraced this football team in a way that I think has been unique,” said Robinson, who was fired Nov. 16 but allowed to coach the final two games of the season. “The two of us have been able to embrace this community, and that's as hard as walking away from this football team. I liked being part of her world out there. This place is beautiful and it has great people, people that care about their community.”
The win over the Irish enabled the Orange to avoid their third 10-loss season under Robinson. Syracuse had never reached double-digit losses in a season before Robinson, an assistant at both the pro and college levels for three decades but never the head guy, was hired by Gross in January 2005 to replace Paul Pasqualoni.
After Syracuse went 2-10 in 2007, Gross decided to retain Robinson despite calls for change from both alumni and fans. Gross said he needed to see “tangible improvement” in the program - and that never happened.
When athletic director Daryl Gross fired Robinson the day after the Orange had been beaten 39-14 at home by Big East rival Connecticut, Robinson said he wasn't surprised. His players responded by upsetting Notre Dame 24-23 the following week in South Bend on national television, providing Robinson with the crowning moment of his four years as head coach.
Robinson, who had one year left on a contract that pays $1.5 million a year, leaves with a 10-37 overall record and 3-26 mark in the Big East.
And he leaves grudgingly.
“I'm sick to my stomach that it's done. That's the biggest regret. Pulling boxes into my office, that's ugly,” Robinson said. “It isn't what I didn't get done. It's that it's not finished. I don't want to quit the fight. I want to keep fighting. I'd like that last year.”
Robinson, with wife Laura and son Dominic watching from the back of the room, also said it was especially difficult because of the ties that he and his family had made to the central New York region. Dominic served as a graduate assistant on the team for two years.
“She (Laura) has embraced this football team in a way that I think has been unique,” said Robinson, who was fired Nov. 16 but allowed to coach the final two games of the season. “The two of us have been able to embrace this community, and that's as hard as walking away from this football team. I liked being part of her world out there. This place is beautiful and it has great people, people that care about their community.”
The win over the Irish enabled the Orange to avoid their third 10-loss season under Robinson. Syracuse had never reached double-digit losses in a season before Robinson, an assistant at both the pro and college levels for three decades but never the head guy, was hired by Gross in January 2005 to replace Paul Pasqualoni.
After Syracuse went 2-10 in 2007, Gross decided to retain Robinson despite calls for change from both alumni and fans. Gross said he needed to see “tangible improvement” in the program - and that never happened.
Citizen
Hot Jobs
New! Off the Menu
The Citizens' Say
Post your comment - click hereThere are No comments posted.