Jacque Robinson Back At UW To Earn Counseling Degree

Far from the idolizing crowds of big-time college football, Jacque Robinson discovered his future in the tranquil Arizona desert.

In search of an identity, and a job, Robinson became a counselor for VisionQuest, a Tucson-based agency involved with righting troubled youths.

As someone who grew up in a troubled neighborhood in Oakland, Calif., Robinson said he found that he could relate to the VisionQuest clientele.

"They knew I wasn't coming out of Beverly Hills," Robinson said.

The VisionQuest experience and subsequent jobs at similar agencies convinced Robinson that he had found his niche.

Now, sans helmet and shoulder pads that were part of his wardrobe as a Huskies running back from 1981 to 1984, he is back at the University of Washington working toward a counseling degree.

"I had been thinking about finishing school," Robinson said. "I had seen Coach (Don) James and other coaches when the Huskies came to Arizona to play. They suggested I come back and get my degree."

Robinson is taking advantage of the athletic department's program that pays for his tuition after his athletic eligibility expires. In addition, he is working as a UW counselor in student-athlete services.

Before leaving the UW in 1985, Robinson made a lasting impression during his freshman season when he was named outstanding player of the 1982 Rose Bowl, won 28-0 by Washington over Iowa.

He recalled that his performance - 142 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries - came after he accepted a halftime challenge from receiver Anthony Allen.

"He got up and made a statement that he was going to go out and win the most valuable player award and asked who was going to challenge him," Robinson said. "So I said, `Yeah, I'll challenge you, Anthony.'

"It's kind of funny that it turned out the way it did. Anthony had a great game that day, too."

Robinson said he still is reminded of that game and his last one, the 1985 Orange Bowl victory over Oklahoma. He rushed for 135 yards and was named player of the game in the Orange Bowl.

But the accomplishment he savors more is what happened his sophomore season.

"What I don't think anybody really noticed is who led the Pac-10 in rushing in 1982," Robinson said. "I don't think anybody knows."

The answer, of course, is Robinson, who rushed for 926 yards and was named to the all-Pac-10 team.

Robinson later got a taste of pro football - a bitter taste, he said. He was an eighth-round choice of the Buffalo Bills in the 1985 NFL draft and was released before the season began. He was released again in 1986, when he tried out with the Miami Dolphins.

"It got to the point where I felt they were bringing guys in (during preseason) just to keep other guys - the ones they were going to keep - healthy," Robinson said.

After that, Robinson went home to Oakland, discovered he didn't want to stay there and, at the urging of a friend, went to Arizona and began a counseling career.

Robinson, who is separated from his wife, is raising a son, Nathaniel Cornelius, 8. Two other children, Jacque Jr., 3, and Denzel David, 2, live with their mother.

"It's been great since I've gotten back up here," Robinson said. "I've been made to feel like I never left."