European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 5, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Murday april 5 2007 stars and stripes Page 55 coach Robinson Dies by Mary Foster the associated press Ruston Gram bling coach Eddie Robinson who created a football powerhouse at the Small Black College in North Ern Louisiana that turned out hundreds of nil players has died he was 88 the soft spoken coach spent nearly 60 years at Grambling state University where he set a Standard for victories with 408 and nearly every season saw his top players drafted by nil teams Doug Williams a super bowl map quarterback was one of them Williams said Robinson died shortly before Midnight tuesday Robinson had been admitted to Lincoln general Hospital on tues Day afternoon for the Grambling family this is a very emotional time will iams said wednesday but in thinking about Eddie Robinson the Man not in to daytime but in the Day and what he meant to me and to so Many people Robinsons career spanned 11 presidents several wars and the civil rights movement his older records Are what people will re member in 57 years Robinson compiled a 40816515 record until John Gagliardi of St Johns Minn topped the Victory Mark four years ago Robinson was known As the winning est coach in All of College football the real record i have set for Over 50 years is the fact that i have had one Job and one wife Robinson said Robinson had been suffering from alzheimer which was diagnosed shortly after he was 50 years of service celebrating f of service i service credit Union has turned 50 in Celebration we Are offering special discounts on Loans and High yield certificate rates throughout april give us a Call or visit us today military Coorg qq3q0472s2qqq Best Auto loan rate 5 or 11 month certificate apr 514 if you Are a member of record As of apy 525 if you Are a member of record As of we thru of Cabot of record i i month s shown includes jux discount for direct Deposit new Sci member a Fol receive ass off a Prond ban tens Paki out anniversary discounts in addition to any lean discounts flab Ofer ask about our Star forced to retire following the 1997 season in which he won Only three games his health had been declining for years and he had been in and out of a nursing Home during the last year Robinson said he tried to coach each player As if he wanted him to marry his daughter he began coaching at Gram bang state i 1941 when it was still the Louisiana negro Normal and Industrial Institute and sin Glen Anderly brought the school from obscurity to International popularity Gramb Hng first gained National attention in 1949 when running Back Paul tank younger signed with the los Angeles rams and became the first player from an Allback College to enter the nil suddenly pro scouts Learned How to find the Little school 65 Miles East of Shreveport near the Arkansas Border Robinson sent More than 200 players to the nil including seven first round draft choices and Williams who succeeded Robinson As ramblings coach in 1998 others went to the Cana Dian football league and no defunct Usel Robinsons pro stars included Willie Davis James Harris Ernie Ladd Buck Buchanan Sammy White Cliff Mcneil Willie Brown Roosevelt Taylor Charlie Joiner and Willie Williams Jerry Izenberg the sports columnist emeritus at the started Ger of Newark and a close Friend of Robinson since 1963 said the coach was an inspiration in the deep South people look at Black Pride America and sports Impact on Izenberg said in the major Cit ies it took off the first time Jackie Robinson stole Home in the deep South it started with Eddie Robin son who took a Small College in Northern Louisiana with Little or no funds and sent the first Black to the pros and made everyone look at him and Gramb Hng Robinson was forced to retire after the 1997 season after the program fell on Tough times his final three years on the sidelines brought consecutive losing sea sons for the first time an Mcaa investigation of recruiting violations and four players charged with rape As pressure mounted for him to step aside even the governor campaigned to give him one last sea son so he could try to go out a win Ner but that final season produced Only three wins for the second straight year Robinsons teams had Only eight losing seasons and won 17 southwestern athletic Confer ence titles and nine National Black College championships his Den is packed with trophies rep resenting virtually every award a coach can win he was inducted into every Hall of Fame for which he was eligible and received honorary degrees from several universities including Yale Robinson said he tried to teach his players about Opportunity his first season Robinsons team went 35 his second year Grambling was 90 and did not allow a single Point