Sunday, January 20, 2008

Eddie Robinson


Robinson spent fifty-six years as the head coach at historically black Grambling State University in Grambling in Lincoln Parish in northern Louisiana, from 1941 through 1997.
During his tenure, Robinson established himself as the winningest coach in college football history, becoming the first coach to record 400 wins. Robinson is second on the list of wins by a college coach, immediately behind active coach
John Gagliardi of St. John's University (Minnesota). Robinson retired with a record of 408 wins, 165 losses and 15 ties. More than 200 of his players went on to play in the American Football League and in the NFL. Robinson coached three American Football League players who would later be inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame: the Kansas City Chiefs' Buck Buchanan; the Oakland Raiders' Willie Brown; and the Houston Oilers' Charlie Joiner. Robinson also coached James Harris, who with the AFL's Buffalo Bills became the first black quarterback in modern Pro Football history to start at that position in a season opener. He also coached Packers defensive end and Hall of Famer Willie Davis and the Super Bowl XXII MVP, Redskins quarterback Doug Williams, who would ultimately succeed Robinson as Grambling's head coach in 1998.
During his coaching career, Robinson compiled 45 winning seasons, including winning or sharing 17
Southwestern Athletic Conference championships and eight black college football national championships [1].

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