Chiefs

Greg Robinson, former Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator, dies Wednesday at 70

Greg Robinson was the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator under Dick Vermeil from 2001 to 2003.
Greg Robinson was the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator under Dick Vermeil from 2001 to 2003. KC Star file photo

Greg Robinson, whose four-decade coaching career included three seasons as the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator, died Wednesday.

He was 70.

His son told Syracuse.com that Robinson had battled a form of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Robinson had lengthy stints at both the NFL and college levels — most notably a two-time Super Bowl champion as the Denver Broncos defensive coordinator in 1997-98 and a four-year run as the Syracuse head coach.

He sandwiched a stop in Kansas City between the two. When Dick Vermeil took over as the Chiefs’ head coach in 2001, he tasked Robinson with taking over his defense. While the Robinson-led Broncos defenses consistently ranked in the top-10 in points and yards allowed, the Chiefs’ defense could not match the offensive juggernaut Vermeil had built, ranking in the bottom half of the league in both categories all three seasons.

After his stint in Kansas City, Robinson would move to the college ranks, where he served as the Syracuse head coach for four seasons. He was also a defensive coordinator at Texas and Michigan. He last coached the defense for San Jose State in 2015.

A funeral will take place in Los Angeles, his family told Syracuse.com.

This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 4:36 PM.

Sam McDowell
The Kansas City Star
Sam McDowell is a columnist for The Star who has covered Kansas City sports for more than a decade. He has won national awards for columns, features and enterprise work. The Headliner Awards named him the 2024 national sports columnist of the year.
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