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Burton Michael Robinson (born February 6, 1983) is an American former professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player who was a fullback in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). He was selected by the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
in the fourth round of the
2006 NFL draft The 2006 NFL draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offe ...
. He is currently an analyst for the
NFL Network NFL Network (occasionally abbreviated on-air as NFLN) is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Football League NTP and is part of NFL Media, which also includes NFL.com, NFL Films, NFL Mobile, NFL Now and N ...
and
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
. Robinson played
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the
Penn State Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Penn State Lady Lions basketball, Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot ...
. He played as a
quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
and
wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
, leading the team to a Big Ten Conference title in 2005 and being recognized as the
Big Ten Most Valuable Player The ''Chicago Tribune'' Silver Football is awarded by the ''Chicago Tribune'' to the college football player determined to be the best player from the Big Ten Conference. The award has been presented annually since 1924, when Red Grange of Illi ...
and co-Offensive Player of the Year. In 2011, he was elected to his first and only
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...
as a member of the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
. In his last year with the Seahawks, he helped the team win
Super Bowl XLVIII Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2013 Denver Broncos season, Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2013 Seattle Seahawks season, Seattle Seahawks to ...
.


Early life

Robinson attended
Varina High School Varina High School is located in eastern Henrico County, Virginia. It is one of nine high schools in Henrico County Public Schools and was founded in 1909, with the current campus opening in 1963. The school's mascot is the Blue Devil, branded af ...
, where he was a four-year starter at
quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
. He was a two-time ''
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
'' first-team All-State selection and a three-time member of the ''
Richmond Times-Dispatch The ''Richmond Times-Dispatch'' (''RTD'' or ''TD'' for short) is the primary daily newspaper in Richmond, Virginia, and the primary newspaper of record for the state of Virginia. Circulation The ''Times-Dispatch'' has the second-highest circul ...
'' All-Metro team, ''
Richmond Times-Dispatch The ''Richmond Times-Dispatch'' (''RTD'' or ''TD'' for short) is the primary daily newspaper in Richmond, Virginia, and the primary newspaper of record for the state of Virginia. Circulation The ''Times-Dispatch'' has the second-highest circul ...
'' Offensive Player of the Year and the district and regional Player of the Year. Robinson led his team to four consecutive regional titles and two state runner-up finishes. He rushed for 3,046 yards on 371 carries, an 8.2 average, and 37 touchdowns, while passing for 2,409 yards in his career. As a senior, he accounted for a huge portion of the team's total offense, passing for 1,056 yards and rushing for 1,281 and scored 15 touchdowns. He was two-year team captain, who totaled 211 career tackles, 18 interceptions and 13 sacks as a safety. He also participated in the sprints for the track and field squad.


College career

In 2002 with the Nittany Lions, Robinson shifted around the offensive set from quarterback to running back, slot back, and split end to utilize his talents. He showed great running ability and helped spark the diversified Penn State offense. He started at tailback against
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
and at slot back against Auburn in the
Capital One Bowl The Citrus Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The bowl is operated by Florida Citrus Sports, a non-profit group that also organizes the Pop-Tarts Bowl and Florida Classic. The g ...
. Robinson was Penn State's second leading rusher in 2002 with 263 yards and six touchdowns on 50 carries. He caught nine passes for 44 yards. In 2003, Robinson started eight games—three at quarterback and five at tailback. He completed 62-of-138 passes for 892 yards, five touchdowns, and five interceptions and finished second on the team with 396 yards and three scores on 107 carries. In 2004, Robinson again started eight games. He was second on the team with 33 receptions for 485 yards (14.7 avg) and three touchdowns. He completed 14-of-39 passes for 170 yards, a touchdown, and five interceptions. He was third on the squad with 172 yards on 49 carries. In 2005, Robinson compiled the best numbers of his college career. He was named Big Ten Conference Offensive Player of the Year by the league's coaches and was a consensus second-team All-Big Ten choice. He was named to the
Maxwell Award The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best all ...
watch list and was a semi-finalist for the
Davey O'Brien Award The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National C ...
, given to the nation's top passer. He completed 162 of 311 passes (52.1%) for 2,350 yards, seventeen touchdowns and ten interceptions. His 2,350 passing yards at the time ranked fifth on the school season-record list, topped only by Zack Mills (2,417 in 2002), Tony Sacca (2,488 in 1991),
Anthony Morelli Anthony Michael Morelli (born June 21, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions under coach Donald Thomas. He w ...
(2,651 in
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
) and
Kerry Collins Kerry Michael Collins (born December 30, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Collins was a member of six NFL teams, most notably the Carolina Panth ...
(2,679 in 1994). He was second on the team with 163 carries for 806 yards (4.9 avg) and eleven touchdowns, becoming the first player in school history to throw for over 2,000 yards and rush for over 500 yards in the same season. His 806 rushing yards set a school season-record for quarterbacks and he became the first quarterback in Penn State history to run for at least ten touchdowns in a season. His 28 touchdowns (17 passing, 11 rushing) was one shy of the school season-record of 29 (26 rushing, 3 catching) by
Lydell Mitchell Lydell Douglas Mitchell (born May 30, 1949) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) from 1972 to 1980. During his nine-season NFL career, Mitchell played for the Baltimore C ...
in 1971. Robinson also became the first Nittany Lion to throw three touchdown passes in three separate games during the same season since
Todd Blackledge Todd Alan Blackledge (born February 25, 1961) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, leading them to a national c ...
in 1982. Robinson captained the 2005 team, one of Penn State's most competitive teams in years, winning the Big Ten championship and the
Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. Played annually since 1935 Orange Bowl, January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in ...
over the Florida State Seminoles in a gut-wrenching triple-overtime victory. He finished fifth in
Heisman The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...
voting. Robinson earned a
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
in
advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...
/
public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...
from
Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...
in three years, graduating in December 2004, and earned a second
B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...
in
journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...
in December 2005. He was named Academic All-
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...
three times.


Statistics


Professional career


San Francisco 49ers

Robinson was selected in the fourth round of the
2006 NFL draft The 2006 NFL draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offe ...
by the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
. The 49ers converted him into a
running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...
. 49ers head coach
Mike Nolan Michael Tullis Nolan (born March 7, 1959) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League (UFL). Nolan previously served as a head coach for the San Francisco 49ers, and a defensive c ...
was immediately impressed with Robinson's attitude and toughness during training camp. After a solid preseason, Robinson rose up to the number two running back position behind
Frank Gore Franklin Gore Sr. (born May 14, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). A member of the San Francisco 49ers during most of his career, he ranks third ...
on the depth chart. Robinson scored his first and second career touchdowns against the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
and Robinson knocked veteran pro-bowl safety
Brian Dawkins Brian Patrick Dawkins Sr. (born October 13, 1973), nicknamed "Weapon X", is an American former professional football player who was a safety for 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. He played ...
out of the game after running him over before his second touchdown of the game. Then, in week 3, Mike Nolan indicated that he intended to use Robinson more often in goal line situations. Despite Nolan's statement, Robinson's playing time actually would decrease over the course of the season, and he did not score another touchdown. He finished the year with 38 carries for 116 yards, 9 receptions for 47 yards, and 2 touchdowns. On February 28, 2008, the 49ers gave Robinson a three-year contract extension. Midway through the 2008 season, Robinson took over as the 49ers' starting fullback after teammate Zak Keasey suffered a season-ending tear in his biceps.


Seattle Seahawks

Robinson was released by the 49ers on September 3, 2010, at the end of the 2010 preseason. He was signed on September 6, 2010, by the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
at the urging of first-year assistant special teams coach and former 49ers' player, Jeff Ulbrich, who had been Robinson's teammate for the previous four seasons. On December 12, 2011, against the
St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...
, Robinson returned his first career special teams touchdown on a blocked punt. On January 19, 2012, Robinson made his first and only career
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...
as an alternate, starting at fullback for the injured
John Kuhn John Allen Kuhn (born September 9, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for Shippensburg University, he was signed by the Pittsburgh ...
. On August 30, 2013, Robinson was released by the Seahawks during the final cuts, after the use of a prescription medication shut down his kidney and liver and caused him to lose 30 pounds. On October 22, the Seahawks re-signed him to a one-year deal after his health improved. On February 2, 2014, Robinson caught a pass for seven yards in
Super Bowl XLVIII Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2013 Denver Broncos season, Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2013 Seattle Seahawks season, Seattle Seahawks to ...
en route to a 43–8 win over the favored
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
. It would be the last game of his career as he retired after the game.


Post-football career

After retirement, Robinson became an analyst for the
NFL Network NFL Network (occasionally abbreviated on-air as NFLN) is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Football League NTP and is part of NFL Media, which also includes NFL.com, NFL Films, NFL Mobile, NFL Now and N ...
. Robinson guest-starred as himself in a couple of episodes on ''
The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...
'', where he meets with
Victor Newman Victor Newman is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera ''The Young and the Restless''. He has been portrayed by Eric Braeden since 1980. Initially a guest character who was to last for eight to twelve weeks, Victor has evolved ...
. Robinson also co-hosts Da Get Got Pod with his former teammate,
Marshawn Lynch Marshawn Terrell Lynch (born April 22, 1986) is an American actor and former professional American football, football player who was a running back for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Beast Mode", he spent the majori ...
.


References


External links

*
Penn State profile

Seattle Seahawks profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Michael 1983 births Living people American football quarterbacks American football running backs American football wide receivers National Conference Pro Bowl players NFL Network people Penn State Nittany Lions football players Players of American football from Richmond, Virginia San Francisco 49ers players Seattle Seahawks players