Remember '99: Quarterback Dan Robinson’s Journey from 0-12 to 9-4

As part of Homecoming Week, we'll be looking back at the magical run of the 1999 Warrior Football Team in recognition of the 25th anniversary of their incredible turnaround from 0-12 a year before, to 9-4 WAC Champions. Each of this week's stories ran following the season as part of a special edition 1999 season in review program. Members of the 1999 team will be honored during Saturday's game vs. Nevada.

I’m a believer! How can you not be, after the remarkable run by the 1999 Rainbow Warrior football team? The "Miracle in Manoa" under first year Hawai‘i head coach June Jones, saw an incredible flip-flop, going 9-4, after taking over a program that had lost 18 straight games.

And when it was all said and done...WOW! Jones took a program from its deepest low, to its highest high. He took it from 0-12 to co-WAC Champions and winners of the 1999 O‘ahu Bowl.

Standing tall in the "re-birth" of the Rainbow Warriors was 6-foot-4 inch, 220-pound UH quarterback, Dan Robinson, voted by his teammates, as their captain.

As the trigger man of the UH offense, Robinson, statistically, recorded the single-best season ever, staking claim to 37 school records.

"Small kine," Robinson said. "Our whole team should share those records. I just threw the ball."

He also tied the mark for interceptions in a season with 18.

"That one's all mine," he laughed.

It's been a bumpy road less traveled to the top. In 1992, after high school in Utah, Dan emptied his piggy bank and embarked on a two year Mormon mission to China (he speaks fluent Cantonese).

After that, he was a quarterback at Ricks College in Idaho where he first entered on an academic scholarship. In 1997, Robinson accepted a full ride with the Warriors. The lure, was the West Coast Offense and then offensive coordinator Guy Benjamin.

"Benjamin, as a quarterback coach, is what I wanted," Robinson said. "I wanted to learn basic techniques from a guy who played in the NFL and went to the Super Bowl."

But when Robinson arrived at UH, he was greeted with a surprise! Benjamin was reassigned and head coach Fred vonAppen handed the offense over to Wally English. Robinson never fit into "Wally's World." He suffered shin splints and those later turned into stress fractures.

"It hurt so bad that some nights I cried," he remembered.

Because of the injuries, Robinson sat out that season, giving way to Tim Carey and Josh Skinner, but he did take part at the first ever "Camp Barber's Point.”

"No offense, but that was a joke," Robinson said. "Bad food, bad living conditions and a terrible practice field." 

Robinson recalls how receiver Jason Mane sat out his entire senior year after suffering a knee injury at "Camp Barber's Point."

"He was never touched and he blew a knee," Robinson said. "You were there, you know."

More changes in 1998. English was out and Don Lindsey was in as offensive coordinator. Lindsey scrapped the scheme built around the passing game, opting for an option offense.

"I hate the option," Robinson said with conviction. "I can't even watch Nebraska play and they're an awesome option team. Awesome team, period."

The season of survival kicked-off against Arizona and Robinson got kicked around. On average, he got knocked 24 times a game that year.

"New Mexico beat me up the most," a wide-eyed Robinson recalled. "They busted my butt bone, a bruised clavicle, busted ribs, you name it, I injured it in '98. Again though, it's no excuse for losing."

One way to get Robinson a bit squeamish, is to say, "Purple Toss Seattle." That's the name of an option play that worked once early that season, so they called it "umpteen" times per game. The play calls for a fake toss to a running back, followed by a slant pass to a receiver.

"Every single time," said Robinson, "linebackers and linemen zoned in on my chin on that play."

After 1998, there were rumors that Robinson wouldn't return to the team.

"It wouldn't have been safe for me," he said, "maybe I wouldn't have played, but I would never have quit school."

And then came June Jones.

"That was a relief," said Robinson.

Jones brought his run-n-shoot offense with him to Manoa.

"I was hoping more shoot than run," Robinson laughed.

Before Jones took over full-time, he had to finish his stint as head coach with the NFL's San Diego Chargers, but he did come to UH for a meeting with his team.

"He promised us we'd make the best turnaround in college football history," recalled Robinson. "He may have questioned that after our first spring practice, though."

Jones put team leadership into the hands of his players from the get go and Robinson remembers a team meeting where the players came up with a motto: "One team, one dream," Robinson said, "that was our coming together."

The season started on a downer, with a blowout loss to USC.

"That may have been our biggest blessing," Robinson said. "It made us grow up real quick."

Unlike the previous 18 defeats though, the Warriors learned they weren't hopeless.

"We had chances," Robinson said after watching the film. "We learned how the scheme works, we just didn't execute."

The loss may have been the best lesson learned all season. After that came win number one, the first touchdown by the offense of the season, and the team's first WAC road win in more than seven years.

Some of the highlights in Robinson's eyes:

• Craig Stutzmann's getting knocked around like a pinball touchdown at San Jose State.

"Best TD all season... most fun game of the year."

• Beating Fresno State in overtime, clinching a share of the WAC title.

"I think our team said okay football world, here we are. Beating the Bulldogs summarized our season. Up and down, hang together, get a win."

• Getting an official bowl invitation prior to the Navy game.

"We talked about winning all year, but I honestly don't know how many of us really, really believed that. I don't even think the bowl people did."

• Beating Oregon State in the Jeep O‘ahu Bowl.

"Everybody doubted us. The Beavers doubted us. I think we gained our program some respect."

Just like former UH quarterbacks Garrett Gabriel and Michael Carter, Robinson suffered through some hard times with fans booing him.

"It hurt," he said. "We didn't play well, I make no excuses."

Robinson graduated with a degree in Pre-med in 1999. The scholar-athlete would like to be a doctor someday but wants football to run its course. There's much hope of at least a tryout for some professional teams.

"Back in grade school," Robinson said, "I told my teacher I wanted to be a pro football player. I've never told anybody that."

But after such a breakthrough season and the relationship he developed with Jones, there's one more thing to add to Robinson's list of things to do.

"I'm actually thinking of maybe being a coach one day," he said.