“I think the thing that stands out about Coach the most is the development of transforming boys into men and preparing them for life,” said Monroe, La., native James “Shack” Harris, vice president of player personnel for the Jacksonville Jaguars and a former Grambling and NFL quarterback. “He understood the players and where they came from and what it took to be successful.” Robinson once estimated he coached more than 4,500 varsity athletes in football, basketball and baseball with an 85% graduation rate. “I tended to want to bring things out in a football player as a student,” Robinson said. “We were blessed to have some good football players, but when you graduate people, they seem to be good people. They get a degree, and they can go out and handle things.” Robinson’s career spanned 11 presidents, several wars and the civil-rights movement. “The real record I have set for over 50 years is the fact that I have had one job and one wife,” Robinson said.
Coach Robinson ended his 57 year career at Grambling with a remarkable 408-165-15 record and sending more than 200 players to the NFL.
