After he left the army, Robinson returned to his old football club, the Los Angeles Bulldogs for a short time. Robinson then took an offer from his old friend and pastor Rev. Karl Downs to be the athletic director at Sam Huston College in Austin. The school was part of the Southwestern Athletic Conference at the time. The job included coaching the school's basketball team for the 1944–45 season. As a starting program, few students tried out for the basketball team. Robinson even had to play in some of the practice games. Although his teams were outmatched by opponents, Robinson was respected as a coach who made his players work really hard. He received the respect of, among others, Langston University basketball player Marques Haynes, a future member of the Harlem Globetrotters.