Robinson to Step Away From USF Radio Network After 21 Seasons

Jim Louk

Charlie Strong

ABOUT USF FOOTBALL

- #GoBulls –

– Every game for 21 seasons, Bulls fans tuning into USF football broadcasts have been treated to top-notch color analysis from Mark Robinson.The 1982 All-American Penn State safety and nine-year NFL veteran became synonymous with USF as the program and Robinson both grew up together from the Bulls' very first game in 1997. With that in mind, today is a bittersweet day with Robinson, 55, officially retiring from USF football's broadcast team to "be a fan again" and spend more time with his most devoted supporters."Every single football season since I was 8 years old, I had a commitment from September to December. At some point you sit there and say, 'I just want to be a fan now,'" said Robinson, who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1988-93. "I just want to enjoy the game, sit back and watch it, and be able to do some things with my family before I limp around and can't do it too much longer."Robinson certainly deserves a lot of praise for his ironman run with broadcast partner. Together, they painted a vivid picture through the airwaves for 251 consecutive games. During that time, Robinson missed his sister's wedding, Penn State's 25anniversary national title celebration and much more, but he doesn't regret it one bit."When I make a commitment, I make a commitment," he said. "People said I should take a game off. I said, 'No, I told them I would do all the games and I will do all the games.'"Sacrifices, however, came with many rewards for Robinson, who can rattle off countless favorite USF games, players and people that made his whole Bulls football experience priceless."I enjoyed it because it was from the beginning. I got to grow up with the team. I got to see them in trailers and take steps forward and see the process," Robinson said. "A lot of programs are already established and you just go out there and try to get the kids in. Here was a team that was growing. To me, the most enjoyable part was seeing them develop into a powerful program in college football."Robinson vividly remembers USF's first-ever game and he can't help but laugh at his own football analysis during the pre-game show. The date was Sept. 6, 1997 and the Bulls were getting ready to battle Kentucky Wesleyan in Tampa."I'm on the air saying, 'They're going to have to really understand it's going to take them a while to get their feet under them. It's going to be a tough game for them,'" Robinson recalled. "Then they get the near goose-egg win (80-3). I just started laughing at myself. It really showed how many people can come together to make this happen."From there, Robinson locked into the pulse of the program, enjoying each home game and road trip on the way to the Bulls' big breakthrough. On Sept. 8, 2007, up-and-coming USF used an unforgettable TD catch by Jessie Hester Jr. to pull off a 26-23 overtime win at No. 17 Auburn.Not long after one of Robinson's favorites to this day, USF skyrocketed to No. 2 in the initial Bowl Championship Series rankings."You almost had to get pinched in that situation. Is this really happening? I expected more of a slow, labored type of rise for them. But when we look up and we're No. 2 in the country, people were calling me for interviews all across the country," Robinson said. "It was more of an aura the team had. A lot of people were surprised by the talent and the speed. Everybody said, 'That South Florida team, boy they're good.'"USF's 2008 win No. 13 Kansas before a crowd of nearly 59,000 fans at Ray Jay also is at the top of Robinson's Mount Everest of Bulls matchups, as is a road game from the next season. The sports world found out about redshirt freshman B.J. Daniels after he threw two touchdown passes to help the Bulls shock No. 18 Florida State, 17-7, in Tallahassee on Sept. 26, 2009."We drove as a broadcast unit up to the game. I remember fans along the way not thinking we had a chance," Robinson said. "What a great ride back home."In USF's more recent past, Robinson credits former head coach Willie Taggart's switch of offensive gears that helped re-energize the program and marvels at USF's 21-4 run the past two seasons. Robinson said the program is definitely in good hands with head coach, who went 10-2 and renewed USF's relentless brand of defense during his first run with the Bulls in 2017."Charlie brings such great experience and Division I moxie. You can see the players' respect for him. He's very consistent," Robinson said. "He came in and he settled the defense down. It looked like he almost condensed the game plan a little bit and said, 'Let's use our talent out here. Let's not outthink ourselves. Let's play football.' You could really start to see the players buying into it and working on the little things."After covering 251 straight games, Robinson still has a burning desire for "exciting" USF football and said he still plans to be around to watch the continued rise of the Bulls."I hope I can come on at some of the halftimes and pre-games, and talk with the guys a little bit," he said. "The part you probably miss the most is the camaraderie with the people you've worked with all through the years –, Jim Lighthall and the people associated with the program."USF Athletics will welcome Robinson back with open arms whenever he's not busy with what's ahead. Before making the tough decision to step out of the USF broadcast booth, Robinson talked through everything with Melinda, his wife of 32 years, and looks forward to being a part of many memorable family moments with his daughters Jordan, Haley and Jasmine, who is his go-to sports fan in the family.Wherever he goes from here, Robinson will always be paying attention to the program that he will always hold close to his heart."I'm very thankful I had the opportunity to go out and be part of it with Jim (Louk) and everybody involved in it," he said.USF posted its second straight 10-win season in 2017 (10-2) by winning its second straight Birmingham Bowl with a 38-34 victory over Texas Tech. USF is one of just 15 teams nationally to win 20-plus games in the last two seasons (21-4) and posted a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the top 25, reaching as high as No. 13 in Week 8 of the 2017 season. The Bulls have won five of their last six bowl appearances and made nine (6-3) total bowl appearances in 21 seasons, including a current run of three straight bowls. USF won a program-record 11 games in 2016 (11-2) and has posted 14 winning seasons. The USF program, which first took the field in 1997, reached No. 2 in the rankings in 2007 and has seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and had 28 first-team all-conference selections.Follow @USFFootball on twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.