On April 4, 2007 we lost a true American.Eddie Robinson a great football coach, a great teacher, a great person and a proud American.
While coach at Grambling State University he was not only a coach but a father figure to each of his players. Robinson said he tried to coach each player as if he wanted him to marry his daughter.
Robinson said he tried to teach his players about opportunity.
In an interview on ESPN Radio, Doug Williams, a former player and now coach at Grambling, said that after practices coach Robinson would talk to his players about life and teaching them how to succeed in life.
Famous Eddie Robinson quotes:
- ON COACHING:
- "Leadership, like coaching, is fighting for the hearts and souls of men and getting them to believe in you.''
- "Coaching is a profession of love. You can't coach people unless you love them.''
- ON SUCCESS:
- "The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential ... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.''
- "People talk about the record I've compiled at Grambling, but the real record is the fact that for over 50 years I've had one job and one wife. I don't believe anybody can out-American me.''
- "Everything I've done, I think I dreamed of it first.''
- ON HIS PLAYERS:
- "I've learned more about what they meant to me and what they meant to the game. I never won a game - they did. You learn from every player because they're not the same.''
- "The football players are the most important people in the world to me. Without them, there would be no me.''
- "I firmly believe that football players and coaches are entertainers.''
- ON THE GRAMBLING BAND:
- "There's more than football at Grambling. We have a great show band. You can be killing us on the field, but people aren't going to leave until after the half.''
- ON HIS LEGENDARY STATUS:
- "I can't even spell it. Whatever it means, I hope I didn't let anyone down. What I've done since 1941 has been more for them than for me.''
Eddie Robinson was a great person and great American. I would hope that every generation learns about Eddie Robinson.
Find more information about Eddie Robinson's life and death at the following links:
