Saban is not the GOAt

Nick Saban is not the greatest coach of all time. His record pales in comparison to the real GOAt, Eddie Robinson of Grambling, a black college legend, who coached football for 56 years and compiled 45 winning seasons, a record of 408-165-15 and 17 SWAC Championships through 1997.

Penn State Coach Joe Paterno once said, “No one has ever done more or will ever do more than Eddie Robinson has done for the game.”

In a day when blacks couldn’t play for southern college football programs Robinson sent more than 200 of his players into the National Football League. Players like Buck Buchanan, Willie Brown and Charlie Joiner, who are now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

He himself was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997. He also coached men’s and women’s basketball and baseball and boys and girls high school basketball.

He was part coach, part preacher and parent. Once when a player told him he could not play in Saturday’s game because he had to go home to help his father pick cotton. Robinson loaded up the bus and took the whole team to pick cotton.

He required his players to attend church and he ensured they did so by handing out their scholarship money after church services. He loved LSU but, as a black man was not allowed to attend games. In fact, he was beaten once for trying to attend.

He and Bear Bryant shared a 30-year friendship and mutual respect. Once when it looked like Grambling might play Alabama, Bryant was asked if he thought Robinson might beat him, Bryant said why not. He beats everybody else, so I have nothing to lose.

The stadium at Grambling is now the Eddie Robinson Stadium and in 2010 the Eddie G. Robinson Museum was dedicated. The legendary coach died on April 3,2007. He was the real greatest of all time.