30 Best College Football Coaches of All-Time
By Hayden Hyde
20. Eddie Robinson
- Career Record: 408-165-15
- Record at Each School: 408-165-15 at Grambling
- Bowl Record: 9-9
- Honors and Awards: Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997. 9 Black College National Championships, 19 SWAC Championships.
Eddie Robinson has the third most wins in college football history. His 408 wins are right behind John Gagliardi of St. John’s and Joe Paterno of Penn State. Robinson coached at Grambling State, a small university in Northern Louisiana, for 57 years and paved the way for African-Americans in college football.
50 of 57 of Robinson’s seasons at Grambling State had a record above .500, and only had one losing season between 1960 and 1990. No team scored a single point against Robinson during his second season at Grambling State.
Willie Brown, Buck Buchanan, and Charlie Joiner–all NFL Hall of Famers–played under Robinson. Even the Washington Redskin’s Doug Williams, the first African-American quarterback to win a Super Bowl, played for Robinson.
Robinson accomplished as much as any coach ever could have and more at Grambling State and when you have the Coach of the Year trophy named after you, you know you did something legendary.
Next: Lou Holtz