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Eddie Robinson, Legendary Grambling State Coach, Dies at 88.
Eddie Robinson, the iconic head coach who walked the sideline for 55 years at Grambling State University, died late Tuesday night after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. Robinson was 88-years-old.
In 1997 Robinson retired as the winningest coach in college football history with a mark of 408-165-15. While he took pride in leading his teams to wins, Robinson took greater joy in watching his players become better men.
Robinson saw over 200 of his players enter the ranks of the NFL, the first player he sent made history. When Paul "Tank" Younger signed with the Los Angeles Rams in 1946 he became the first player from an all-black college to play in the NFL.
Among the scores of men he sent to the NFL seven went in the first round. Robinson coached Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams, the first black quarterback to start in the NFL’s biggest game. He coached Willie Davis, James Harris, Sammy White, Cliff McNeil, Willie Brown, Roosevelt Taylor, Charlie Joiner and many more who would go on to great NFL careers.
Eddie Robinson was as much an institution as he was an individual. Rarely raising his voice, he led by example and often pointed out that for more than 50 years he had one job and one wife, a record he held higher than any other.
