Diaz Relieved of Duties; Robinson Named Defensive Coordinator

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Diaz relieved of duties; Robinson named defensive coordinator

Manny Diaz has been relieved of his duties as Texas defensive coordinator, while former UT co-defensive coordinator Greg Robinson has been named to the position.

Austin -- Manny Diaz has been relieved of his duties as Texas defensive coordinator, and former UT co-defensive coordinator Greg Robinson has been named to the position, head coach Mack Brown announced Sunday. Diaz will be reassigned to a position within the athletics department.

"Our performance on defense last night was unacceptable, and we need to change that," Brown said. "Greg will be here tonight and get with the staff and players to start preparing for Ole Miss. He will be running our defense immediately. We're very fortunate that Greg has been around, watched all of our practice video and has a good scouting report moving forward. His familiarity with the staff and players should make for a smooth transition. He knows this place, did a terrific job in leading our defense before, and I'm excited to have him back on the field. We're back at it and working hard to beat Ole Miss this weekend."

A veteran of 36 years of coaching who has served as a defensive coordinator on two Super Bowl winning teams, and the Longhorns’ 2004 Rose Bowl Championship squad, Robinson began a stint as a football analyst with Texas in July.

"This is a tough deal for everyone involved, but I love The University of Texas, and Coach Brown has been wonderful to me," Robinson said. "I'll do anything I can to help him, so when he called, I told him I'd be there today. I know the staff, have a lot of respect for them and am excited for the challenge moving forward.

"I've been around the team a lot, watched all of their film and have been self scouting and scouting opponents since I came on board in July. Because of Longhorn Network, I've also been able to see these guys for two to three years and am very familiar with the personnel."

He most recently served in coaching as the defensive coordinator at Michigan for two seasons (2009-10) after spending four years as the head coach at Syracuse (2005-08).

Robinson was Texas' co-defensive coordinator with Duane Akina, along with being linebackers coach, for the 2004 season, which culminated with an 11-1 record as the Longhorns won their first BCS Bowl and Rose Bowl Championship with a victory over Michigan. That season, Texas held its opponents to 320.1 yards (23rd NCAA) and 17.9 points per game (18th NCAA), while ranking 16th in rushing defense (107.4 ypg).

"I need to get with the staff, work with them to get a plan in place and hit the ground running," Robinson said. "I think very highly of the defensive coaches I'm working with – Duane (Akina), Oscar (Giles) and Bo (Davis) – so it's critical for me to get with them and figure out what specifically we need to do moving forward. Having coached here, I do know the ins and outs and having the stability with the rest of the staff will be very beneficial."

Prior to Texas, Robinson spent 10 of his 14 years coaching in the NFL as a defensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs (2001-03), Denver Broncos (1995-2000) and New York Jets (1994). He was the Jets' defensive line coach for four seasons (1990-93) prior to his appointment as defensive coordinator.

Robinson was the Broncos' defensive coordinator during the organization's back-to-back Super Bowl titles in 1997 and 1998. His teams qualified for the playoffs in seven of his 14 seasons in professional football.

Before his NFL career, Robinson spent eight years with the UCLA Bruins, coaching the defensive line for seven seasons (1982-88) and serving as offensive coordinator in 1989. Robinson also had collegiate stints at N.C. State (1980-81), Cal State Fullerton (1977-79) and the University of the Pacific (1975-76).