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Issue date: 4/9/07 Section: Sports

Eddie Robinson

Eddie Robinson, the long- time head football coach of the Grambling State University, passed away on Tuesday, April 3, after succumbing to a bout with Alzheimer's disease.

Robinson coached at Grambling from (1951-1997) and had a record of 408-165-11, which included 17 conference titles and eight black college championships.

He was also the first coach ever to win 400 games. In his 55-year career, Robinson coached over 200 players that went to the NFL.

Robinson and his Tigers have a long shared history with TSU. Former TSU head football coach Joe Gilliam Sr., said that Grambling and TSU began playing one another in a time when there were no suitable places thing for African Americans to do socially, so when they went to play each they would go to each other houses.

TSU and Grambling have played against each other from 1955 to 1993, with TSU leading the series.

But Gilliam and Robinson were not just friend and foe on the playing field. Their relationship runs deeper. Gilliam and Robinson were in-laws. Gilliam's granddaughter married Robinson's grandson.
Gilliam also said that Robinson played a major role in the development of young men.

"This is the time in a young person life when ever decision is a life changing decision," said Gilliam. "The decision you make at this age can effect your life in a positive way or it will have a negative a effect on your life and most of Robinson players made the right decisions."

"He was a professional he wore a shirt and tie on the field and he never cursed," Gilliam added. "He did not feel like cursing would help his players. Football is about teaching and the football field was his classroom."

And one of Robinson's former players
agrees.

"The first thing I remember about coach was when I was a freshman, he asked all of us if we knew how to take a shower," said Sydney Franklin, who played center and line backer at Grambling from 1957-59. "He took boys and made them in to men."

"Coach took nothing for granted and taught us about all the aspects of life," Franklin added. "He didn't want us just to be good football players, he wanted us to be gentlemen and good citizens. He made sure after four years of Grambling we were ready to for the real world."

Fred Metcalf, a Shreveport, La., native who played at TSU from 1956-1959 and was a member of the team that the 1956 Black College National Championship, said he has fond memories of Coach Robinson trying to recruit him.

"My first memory of coach was when I was a freshman in high school (when) he came to me after a game and told me I was going to go to Grambling," said Metcalf. "When he told me that I was like, 'yes sir' because I knew that was the only way that I would be able to go to college."

Metcalf also remembers some valuable
advice Robinson had given him. As Metcalf's high school career progressed, he decided that he wanted to go to the Colorado to play football.

"Coach (Robinson) told me not to go to Colorado because there were not no suitable social places for African Americans," Metcalf said. "(But) he was happy about be me deciding to go to TSU.•

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