With 119 chapters and over
12,000 members nationwide, The National Football Foundation &
College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs
programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing
scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in today’s
young people. NFF programs include the College Football Hall of
Fame in South Bend, Ind., Play It Smart, the NFF Center for Youth
Development Through Sport at Springfield College, the NFL/NFF Coaching
Academy, and annual scholarships of nearly $1 million for college
and high school scholar athletes. Each month American Football Monthly
will profile a member of the College Football Hall of Fame –
our March subject is legendary coach Eddie Robinson.
1919: Born in Jackson, Louisiana.
1939-40:
Leland College Quarterback (receives a bachelor’s degree upon
graduation).
1941: First year
at Grambling: goes 3-5.
1942: Second year at Grambling: 9-0 (unbeaten
and unscored upon).
1943-44: Coaches at Grambling HS (no college
team during World War II).
1945: Returns to be head coach at Grambling.
1959: Grambling joins the Southwestern Athletic
Conference.
1960: Grambling wins the first of its 17 SWAC
titles.
1963: Grambling tackle Buck Buchanan becomes
the first player from an all-black college to be chosen first in
the AFL or NFL draft.
1976: Grambling plays Morgan State in Tokyo:
the first college game played on foreign soil.
1985: Ties and then beats Bear Bryant’s
record for most coaching victories, all-time.
1987: Sports Network begins the Eddie Robinson
Award for the Coach of the Year in Division I-AA.
1988: Former Grambling star Doug Williams
(12) becomes the first black quarterback to play in the Super Bowl
earning MVP honors.
1997: Coaches his last game on Nov. 29. The
College Football Hall of Fame waives its mandatory three-year waiting
period for retired coaches, inducting him on Dec. 9.
The Football Writers Association names the Robinson Award for National
Coach Of the Year in his honor.
The word ‘Legend’
comes to mind more than any other word when talking about the career
of Eddie Robinson. The Grambling State coaching immortal mentored
the Tigers for 55 years. During that span he won 408 games, lost
165, and tied 15. The 408 victories set a record at the time for
most wins by a college football coach on any level.
Among his other achievements: 17 championships in the Southwestern
Athletic Conference, nine Black College National Championships,
and a streak of 27 consecutive winning seasons, 1960-1986. He coached
more than 200 players who later played in the National and American
Football Leagues. Among the most famous were Willie Davis, Charlie
Joiner, Buck Buchanan, Willie Brown, Tank Younger and Ernie Ladd.
A significant date in his career was Sept. 28, 1985. The Grambling
Tigers beat Oregon State that day, 23-6, for his 323rd victory,
tying Bear Bryant for all-time coaching wins. His victory two weeks
later – 27-7 over Prairie View – put him at the top of
the all-time list.
Robinson received more awards than any other coach in history. The
National Football Foundation gave him its Outstanding Contribution
to Amateur Football Award in 1992 and named him to the College Football
Hall of Fame in 1997. But what he was most proud of was his players’
education: “I’m proud that most of our players graduate.
We begin each meeting with a talk and the importance of education.
The most important thing in football is the boy who plays the game.
You can't coach 'em unless you love ‘em.”
To find out more about how to become a member or for more information
about The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
visit www.footballfoundation.org
or call 1-800-486-1865.
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Digital Download - 304 Pages of Football Forms for the Winning Coach
