Eddie Robinson Remembered As Legend

Apr 5, 4:26 AM EDT
By RALPH D. RUSSO
AP Sports Writer

Eddie Robinson inspired young men to do great things, to make the most of their lives. And many of those he touched never played a down for him during a 57-year coaching career at Grambling State.

"There is no question that Eddie Robinson was a figure that was larger than life for most African-American young men of that era," Washington coach Tyrone Willingham said Tuesday.

Robinson died Tuesday at the age of 88, 10 years after he retired. He built Grambling State, a small historically black school in northern Louisiana into a football powerhouse, sending more than 200 players into the NFL and winning 408 games in a tenure that began in 1941.

"At that time, Grambling was The Program and Eddie Robinson was The Man. One of the first football camps I ever attended was in Shenandoah, Va. The reason I attended was because Eddie Robinson was going to be there. ... He stood for all the right things," said Willingham, one of six black head coaches at 119 major college football schools.

Those who played for Robinson remembered him as a role model who influenced lives far beyond the football field.

"Wow, this guy was bigger than life itself. He really impressed me by the way he handled himself, what he believed in and what he stood for. ... I couldn't have learned from a better coach than Robinson," said Raiders assistant coach Willie Brown, who went on to a Hall of Fame NFL career with Oakland.

Added former Grambling quarterback James Harris, now the vice president for player personnel of the Jacksonville Jaguars: "I remember Coach really, really concerned about graduating his players, preparing them for life. He'd come around with that cowbell every morning getting everyone up to go to class, go to church."

Robinson held the record for coaching victories at the time of his retirement, a mark since surpassed by John Gagliardi of Division III St. John's, Minn.

Still, Robinson is way ahead of Florida State's Bobby Bowden (365) and Penn State's Joe Paterno (360), who top the list for coaching victories in Division I-A. Paterno called Robinson "one of the giants in coaching."

"He was a great football coach and person who made tremendous contributions to our profession," the 80-year-old Paterno said. "He made a positive impact on the lives of thousands of young people. He was a great ambassador for Grambling and represented his school with pride, class and commitment."

Doug Williams, the former NFL quarterback and Grambling star, called Robinson a true patriot.

"Nobody in America, not even the President - there ain't nobody out there that can out-American Eddie Robinson. He loved to wave that flag," Williams said.

And President Bush himself said Robinson was a "football legend."

"He will be remembered for his passion for the game and his dedication to helping his players better themselves on the field, in the classroom, and in their communities," Bush said.

New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner echoed the President.

"He was a legendary coach, a great teacher and an extraordinary man. I've known him for many years. We were terrific friends and I lament his loss," Steinbrenner said in statement.

Former Jackson State coach and Southwestern Athletic Conference rival W.C. Gordon recalled Robinson on the sideline dressed in a coat and tie with the Tigers' gameplan in a brief case.

"To me he was the Martin Luther King of football. I have never seen him angry, derogatory toward any opponent or team that he played against," Gordon said. "He was very sophisticated. He carried the attitude that he loved everybody."

Robinson was diagnosed with Alzheimer's shortly after he was forced to retire. He had been in and out of a nursing home during the last year of his life.

Rev. Jesse Jackson credited Robinson with helping black college football become popular and marketable.

"He took black college football to the big stadiums nationally and internationally," Jackson said. "The Grambling Tigers Football Team and Marching Band became a worldwide frame of reference."

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