Eddie Robinson (Grambling football coach)

Eddie Robinson (Grambling football coach)

College coach infobox
Name = Edward Gary Robinson


ImageWidth = 150
- | DateOfBirth = birth date|1919|2|13|mf=y
DateOfDeath = death date and age|2007|4|3|1919|2|13
Birthplace = Jackson, Louisiana
Deathplace = Ruston, Louisiana
Sport = Football
College =
Title = Head coach
CurrentRecord =
OverallRecord = 408–165–15
BowlRecord =
Awards =
Championships =
CFbDWID = 3118
Player =
Years =
Team =
Position =
Coach = yes
CoachYears = 1941–1997
CoachTeams = Grambling
FootballHOF = 1997
CollegeHOFID = 70042

Edward Gay Robinson (February 13 1919 – April 3 2007) was an African American college football coach.

Biography

Robinson was born in Jackson, Louisiana to the son of a sharecropper and a domestic worker. He went on to graduate from McKinley Senior High School in Baton Rouge in 1937. He went on to earn his bachelor's degree from Leland College (an unaccredited institution) in Baker in East Baton Rouge Parish, then went on to obtain his Master's degree from the University of Iowa in Iowa City in 1954. Robinson was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans.

Career

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 (although 45 of his wins occurred before Grambling was an accredited college). 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 [ [http://media.2theadvocate.com/documents/070405robinsongraphic.pdf EDDIE ROBINSON: 1919-2007 - Robinson's Record] . The Advocate. April 5 2007] .

Surprisingly, while at Grambling, Eddie Robinson held several jobs other than Football coach, including teaching at Grambling High School, and coaching the girls' basketball team during the war. His girls team lost the state championship by 1 point.

After several losing seasons in the 1990s, pressure mounted for Robinson to resign. In 1997, news escaped that Grambling was planning to dismiss him. Public outcry — including condemnation from Louisiana elected officials — led Grambling to retain Robinson's services through the remainder of the season.

Robinson had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease; he died on April 3 2007, at Lincoln General Hospital in Ruston, Louisiana, after being admitted earlier in the day. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2825016 Ex-grambling coach Robinson dead at 88] . Associated Press. April 4 2007.]

Coaching Record

Honors & Awards

The Football Writers of America's Eddie Robinson Award award is named for him. Grambling, a predominantly black community, also named its football facility Eddie Robinson Stadium.

ee also

* Grambling Tigers Football

ee also

*List of presidents of the American Football Coaches Association
* [http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/schools/GRAM| Grambling players in the NFL draft since 1982]

References

External links

* [http://www.swac.org/legends/legendsrobinson.htm Southwest Athletic Conference Page on Coach Robinson]

Persondata
NAME=Robinson, Eddie Gary
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=American college football coach
DATE OF BIRTH=February 13 1919
PLACE OF BIRTH=Jackson, Louisiana, United States
DATE OF DEATH=April 3 2007
PLACE OF DEATH=Ruston, Louisiana, United States


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