Robinson, alive and well, is victim of radio hoax

Steve Guiremand

Thursday, Nov. 4, 1999 | 10:42 a.m.

UNLV football coach John Robinson is alive and well and looking forward to coaching the Rebels in their Mountain West Conference game next week in Colorado Springs.

Local radio station "Hot Talk" 105.1-FM fell victim to a hoax this morning when a caller went on air and proclaimed that the 64-year-old Robinson had died of a heart attack, causing hysteria briefly at UNLV, which was unable to reach Robinson.

"I got like 10 phone calls just while I was taking my shower this morning," UNLV football sports information director Mark Wallington said. "TV stations, radio, everybody was calling to see if it was true. ... I brought my tie with me to school today just in case (there was a press conference)."

Not to worry. Robinson showed up at his Lied Athletic Complex office around 9 a.m. as scheduled.

"I have no idea where (the radio station) got that from," Robinson said. "I just walked into my office and someone said, 'You're supposed to be dead.'

"It's just stupid, just stupid," Robinson said adding, tongue-in-check, "How could people believe that a 30-year-old man in such tip-top shape would die?"

Kelly Hawkins, the producer of the "The Action Guys" show, on which the call was made, said the rumor had the station all abuzz.

"Around 8 (a.m.), a caller said John Robison died of a heart attack ... (but) we couldn't confirm it," Hawkins said.