hey call him sweet Johnny, the Candy 1)01 and the NFL. Man. And it just sr :iappens that he has the • •••:..• to the all-time AFL All-Star stickiest hands of any playei who performed team seleccl by the Professional Football in the old American Football League. 'fall Fame The Chief's Johnny Robinson startcd his 4. t Is played in sis All-Star games. pro career as a running back, but after two 5. Twice intercepted three asses in one seasons Hank Stram shifted him to the defen- game last season. sive backfield. It was an inspired move. In his For all of his achie‘ements handsome nine seasons on defense Robinson has picked Johnny seldom has been a headline maker off just about everything alai moves through probably because he eschews fancy clothe_ the air except the coin used for the pre-game and controversial comments. But ever. toss. though Robinson's public image is conserva He led the AFL in career interceptions tive his career has been far from bland. with 43. Last year the AR teams bfq.ame 11e was a central tigure in 0,e of the first members of the National great signir battles be Football League's Ameri- tweet) the At- c and the NFL can Conference. The lie was first signed by th. • change made no difference Detroit Lions and then Ir. to Robinson; he palled the Dallas Texans, wit( t down '10 enemy passes and were later io bemme th. had one of his greatest Chiefs. The 'Texans won seasons. title to him in cocci. Robin - Robinson's 53 career son is the only player Mai r interceptions have moved him into second has been with the Dallas-Kans., City tears place among all active players. The only since its inwption. player with more interceptions is Dick I e Robinsoa played against the Vikings ir Beau of the Detroit Lions, who has 36. Robin- the 1970 Super Bowl with torn ribs, thereby son is fifth on the all-time interception list establishing himself as the most seriously in- and climbing. rur.ed player ever to start a Super Bowl game. With Rt,!)inson's help the Chiefs led the Robinson operates a tennis, swimming AFL in interceptions for the last four years of and so( tat club in Kansas City and flies his its existence and :ast season were No. 1 in the chef in from New Orleans on weekends. American Confererce. Johnny Unitas and the Where Joe Namath went for fast food. Robin- world champion Baltimore Colts quickly be- son specializes in fast chefs. came aware of Robinson's presence when he The fight over Robinson's services begat' picked off three passes against hem in the before his collegiate career at L.S.0 had only regular season meeting between the two ended. L.S.U. was to play in the Sugar Bowl clubs. following the 1959 season. Lamar Hunt was The AFL had its share of outstanding prepared to wait until after the Sugar Bowl to safeties but a strong case can be made for sign Robinson but the Lions, who held Robin- Robinson as the best of the lot. Following are son's NFL draft rights, were not interested some of his (redentials, in addition to inter- in playing a waiting game. coatacted ceptions: Robinson in late November and signed him 1. A consensus \II-League performer for to a contract following a negotiating session five straight years. in a Baton Rouge, La., motel. The contract . 2. Named to several of the first All-Pro was untiated and Robinson was told that this teams that were made up of players from was a standard procedure. PRO QUARTE25ACK 11 "I kept saying I waoted to 12,4 with somebody about be possible for Robinson to play. it," Robinson recalls, but ..very time I started ti II some- On Wednesday night before the game Robinson told body they'd offer me an exti -I thousand. I wound up sign- his roommate, Len Dawson, that he though he was getting ing and they gave me my bonus' better. He asked Dawson to put a hand on his obi while he Hunt learned of the signing and sent a plane to rraton moved his arm. Rouge for Robinson. lie explaii ied that the Texans had not -You could feel the ribs moving and popping around attempted io sign any piay.ers who were still in bowl games in there," Dawson recalls. "It was sickening. I couldn't hut once they started thee king with these players they take it." tound that most ot them were signed . On Sunday Di. Pierce deadened the rib area and Hutu Hew back to Baton Rouge. met with an attorney Robinson played. His presence on the field is as important who was representing Robinson and they reached agree- to the Chiefs Irons a morale standpoint but his contribution ment on a contract. Robinson signed a personal services did not end there. Robinson made a key interception and «mtraci with Hunt. played a brilliant all-around game. Fortunately the Chiefs Following the Sugar Bow I game Robinson and Billy dominated the game to the point that he did not have to Cannon, L.S.C.'s biggest star. were signed to contracts do any tackling. under the goal post, Robinson with Dallas and Cannon -I really wasn't worried too much about making with Houston. The NFL challenged the signings and the tackles,- Robinson recalls. "My linemen and linebackers case went ro court. assured tee I woaldn't have to make any and I didn't, al- "They decided I was a naive though there may have been one sysamp boy, or something like that I missed. The only time I got hit thee" 'Robinson laughs. "I remem- Johnny Robinson has seen a lot of was after I caught the interception.- ber the iudge had dune a little foot- changes in his nine-season career In the annals of courageous ball research and when he made with the Kansas City Chiefs. He football performances, Robinson's his ruling he said, 'I want to remind joined the club when they were still play in the Super Bowl ranks near you what the judge told Sam the Dallas Texans and once saw a the top. Etclieverry—that one of these days spectator break up a Dallas pass Robinson will be 33 when your passes won't go long and play in Boston. this season begins. Obviously safe- hard, they'll start to fade and fall, ties do not have the longevity in and I'll remind you that running pro football of a George Blanda so from league to league will not pay °K." Robinson recent:y went into business for himself, which Contrary to what the judge might have thought, brings its to the stony of his New Orleans chef. Robin..on's decision to sign a second contract paid off well "I hope I can play a couple more years," Robinson for himself and the Texans. said, "but when you reach a certain point in your career All manner of unusual things happened in the Texans' you've got to start thinking about the future. If I could play first camp, which was conducted in Roswell, N.M. There until I was 55 I don't think I'd ever do anything but play were awards for the neatest notebooks, players coming football, but there aren't any 40-year-old running backs or and going and mob scenes at the nearby Dairy Queen, defensive linemen or safeties in the NFL. I hear complaints which became the players' most popular dining spot be- from people who say athletes are too business-oriented cause the food in camp was so had, these days but you have to support yourself and your family That first year a spectator broke up a Dallas pass play so what the heck do they expect you to do?" in Boston. Robinson's solution was to purchase a recreational "We w5 re near the close of the game and we were facility and begin operations under the name of lohnny behind about four points," Robinson relater,. "We threw a Robinson's Swim and Tennis Club. He has a 10,000-square long pass and Chris Burford made a tremendous catch on foot clubhouse which contains dining facilities and a bar. about the 2 or 3-yard line. The crowd was moving in front On the wounds adjacent to the clubhouse are two swim- the end zone and Cotton Davidson went back to pass with ming pools and two tennis courts. Robinson is also devel- about 10 seconds left. Cotton threw the ball and some guy oping health club facilities. from out of the stands wound up in the secondary and A partner with Robinson m the underi tking—and 'snoc ked the ball down. There was so much confusion that also his weekend chef--is Jimmy Moran a well known one realized it until they saw the films. I was involved New Orleans restaurateur wno operates Diamond In 'le play because I was playing offense but I didn't real- Moran's. Robinson serves New Orleans-style food on Fri- what was happening." day and Saturday nights. The most drarn,,,, period of Robinson's career came "This is a family-type club,- Robinson said "Fortu• time of the Chies. Super Bowl game with the Vikings. nately I've had some experience in the swimming, tennis in was injured in the Chiefs' AFL championship and health club end of our operation.