Denard Xavier Robinson (born September 22, 1990) is an American former professional football player. He played four seasons as a running back in the National Football League (NFL), and was a college football All-American for the Michigan Wolverines as a quarterback. Robinson was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2013 NFL draft. After his playing career, he was also a staff member for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jacksonville University and the University of Michigan.
As a sophomore in 2010, Robinson set the single-season NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) record for rushing yards by a quarterback and became the only player in NCAA history to both pass and rush for 1,500 yards. Robinson broke the Big Ten Conference season record with 4,272 yards of total offense (2,570 yards passing and 1,702 yards rushing), while leading the conference in rushing. In his second start at quarterback against Notre Dame, he set the Michigan single-game record with 502 yards of total offense. He was awarded the 2010 Big Ten Most Valuable Player and was selected by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) as a first-team All-American. He also set the Big Ten single-game record for rushing yards by a quarterback.
As a junior in 2011, Robinson led a resurgent Michigan team to an 11–2 record and a victory over Virginia Tech in the 2012 Sugar Bowl. He threw for a career-high 338 passing yards in a come-from-behind victory over Notre Dame in the first ever night game played at Michigan Stadium. At the end of the 2011 season, Robinson had eight of the top ten highest single-game offensive totals in Michigan history, as well as 948 yards in two combined games against Notre Dame. His total offense output in 2010 (4,272 yards) and 2011 (3,348 yards) rank as the top two single-season totals in Michigan history. As a senior in 2012, Robinson became the only player in FBS history to both pass for 200 yards and rush for 200 yards in a regular season game three times (including twice in 2011).
Early life Robinson was born on September 22, 1990, the son of Dorothea Robinson and Thomas Robinson Sr.
Nickname Robinson began playing pee-wee football by age 10 and played the game with his shoes untied, thus earning the nickname "Shoelace" as a child. Those who saw him play at Westside Park in Deerfield Beach recall
Kids would go for his shoes on tackles, and he'd come up to the huddle in just socks. His coach couldn't stand it at first and neither could his parents. They'd tie wristbands around his shoes. When that didn't work, they tried athletic tape. They even rolled his socks over his shoes. He was a marvel, and he wasn't even finished with the sixth grade.
Robinson continued to play football without tying his shoelaces and became known as "Shoelace." One reporter who visited his family to watch a Michigan game noted, "To everyone in Deerfield Beach – everyone but his mother, that is – there is no Denard, just Shoelace." Robinson's high school coach, Art Taylor, explained his rationale for accepting the practice
After 25 years coaching, if the kid can throw it 90 yards in the air and is accurate and the kid can run as fast as he does ... as long as he feels comfortable, not lacing his shoes, fine with me. The kid's been doing it all his life, why mess with it?
At the college level, his coaches at the University of Michigan also accepted Robinson's practice. After learning that Robinson could run the 100 meters in 10.4 seconds with his shoes untied, Michigan quarterbacks coach Rod Smith called it "the damnedest thing I've ever seen" and added, "Anybody that runs that fast I'm not going to tell him how to tie his shoes." Robinson wore Adidas Reggie2 Superfly shoes with Velcro straps to secure them to his feet.
High school career As a ninth grader, Robinson tried out for a spot as a defensive back for the varsity football team at Deerfield Beach High School in Deerfield Beach, Florida. The team's defensive coordinator at the time was former Buffalo Bills defensive back Manny Martin, who was also Robinson's algebra teacher. Martin later recalled that he had an experienced defensive backfield, but Robinson "was always in my ear: 'I can do it.'" Robinson did not win a spot on the varsity team and instead played quarterback for the junior-varsity team as a ninth grader.
Robinson became the starting quarterback for the Deerfield Beach varsity team as a sophomore and filled that position for three years from 2006 to 2008. Deerfield Beach head coach Art Taylor recalled, "As soon as he stepped on that field his sophomore year playing varsity, we knew we had something special."
In a 2007 state semifinal game played at the Orange Bowl, Robinson led his team to within two points of upsetting Miami Northwestern, the top-ranked high school team in the country. While warming up, Robinson noticed that a Miami Northwestern lineman had taped a photograph of Robinson onto the front of his helmet. Robinson started laughing and told the player, "You think that scares us?" Robinson had Deerfield ahead in the game, 12–7, but Miami Northwestern completed a 99-yard touchdown drive with 18 seconds left to give them a 14–12 win.
In October 2008 against St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Robinson was responsible for six touchdowns in a single game, passing for 342 yards and five touchdowns and rushing for 54 yards and a touchdown. As a three-year starter for Deerfield Beach, Robinson totaled nearly 6,000 yards of total offense with 4,784 passing yards (262 for 576 passing) and 1,132 rushing yards (5.2 yards per carry).
In addition, Robinson competed in track for Deerfield Beach. In March 2009, he ran the 100 meters sprint in 10.44 seconds, and finished third in the 100-meter dash at the 2008 Florida 4A Track & Field State Championships. He also ran the 40-yard dash in 4.32 seconds. He was also a member of the 2008 Florida High School Athletic Association state champion 4 × 100 metres relay team.
College recruitment As a high school senior, ESPN ranked Robinson seventh in the country as a general athlete and 101st regardless of position. Rivals.com ranked him 14th as a general athlete and 188th overall. Scout.com categorized him as a cornerback and ranked him 16th in the nation. Robinson received scholarship offers from Florida, Georgia, Kansas State, Michigan, and other programs. Michigan initially recruited Robinson as a defensive back, and Robinson declined. Robinson recalled that it was one of his goals to play quarterback at the college level. After observing his passing abilities, Michigan recruited Robinson as a quarterback. On February 4, 2009, Robinson announced that he had signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Michigan.
College career 2009 football season Robinson enrolled in the University of Michigan's School of Kinesiology in the fall of 2009. During Michigan's 2009 summer training camp, Robinson was in competition for the starting quarterback position with fellow freshman Tate Forcier and junior Nick Sheridan. Forcier, who enrolled early and participated in spring practice, was named the starting quarterback, but Robinson saw significant playing time as a true freshman, appearing in all 12 games.
On September 5, 2009, in Michigan's season opener against Western Michigan, Robinson scored a touchdown on his first collegiate snap, which was fumbled. As the ESPN television broadcast focused on his untied shoelaces, Robinson took the snap in the shotgun formation, ran to the right, broke a tackle at the 40-yard line, then cut left and ran 43 yards for a touchdown.
Two weeks later against Eastern Michigan, he ran quarterback draw plays for touchdowns of 13 and 36 yards, though he also threw two interceptions.
In Michigan's October 10 game against Iowa, Robinson replaced Forcier in the fourth quarter with the team trailing 30–21. He led the team on a 59-yard scoring drive capped by his own 3-yard touchdown run with 3:16 left to cut the lead to 30–28. However, on the following drive, Robinson's threw an interception at Michigan's 31-yard line with 44 seconds remaining in the game.
Robinson led the Wolverines on four scoring drives against Delaware State, throwing his first two collegiate touchdown passes and scoring a rushing touchdown as well. His only start of the season came on November 14 as a running back against Wisconsin.
During the 2009 season, Robinson completed 14-of-31 passes for 188 yards and two passing touchdowns. He also ran for 351 yards and five touchdowns in 69 attempts.
2010 track season Robinson also competed for the Michigan men's track and field team during his freshman year. In January 2010, Robinson told a reporter, "When I was getting recruited I always wanted to run track and play football. It helped me move faster on the football field." Michigan track coach Fred LaPlante said Robinson had one of the 10 fastest 100-meter high-school times in the United States in 2009 and described Robinson the sprinter as "one of the four or five best guys in the Big Ten." LaPlante emphasized Robinson's "quickness"
One thing in football that you don't see in track is quickness. He's incredibly quick and his lateral movement is unbelievable and his ability to go in one direction and get in another. The perception people have is that's speed. That's not speed, that's quickness."
Robinson won the 60-meter dash in his college track debut in "The Dual" against Ohio State on January 16, 2010. His time of 6.81 stood up as the best by a Wolverine for the season. He finished fifth in the 60-meter dash at the Meyo Invitational on February 6, 2010. He finished ninth in the event at the 2010 Big Ten Indoor Championships in late February 2010, failing to qualify for the finals by four-thousandths of a second.
LaPlante recalled becoming panic-stricken during a practice race when Robinson was "running so fast he was having trouble holding the turn." Concerned about an injury to the football team's quarterback, LaPlante yelled out, "Denard! Please, don't do that again! I'll be fired in 2 seconds!" LaPlante recalled Robinson's reaction: "He had that great big smile on his face."
Personal bests EventTime (seconds)VenueDate60 meters6.81Ann Arbor, MichiganJanuary 16, 2010100 meters10.44Coral Springs, FloridaMarch 28, 2008
2010 football season
Pre-season competition During spring practice in April 2010, Robinson impressed coaches and observers, leading to speculation that Robinson would overtake Forcier as the starting quarterback. The competition continued through late August and early September 2010. In early September 2010, Angelique Chengelis profiled Robinson in The Detroit News: "The prevailing belief is that Robinson has worked hard enough and improved enough to earn the job. He took significant steps in spring practice, and from all accounts, he showed his teammates an incredible devotion to offseason conditioning and film viewing, all in the interest of honing his game and improving Michigan's chances."
Even on the morning of Michigan's season opener, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that "the mystery surrounding who would be the Wolverines' No. 1 quarterback was a major story line, with coach Rich Rodriguez keeping his decision secret until the very last minute."
A total offense record against UConn