Eddie Robinson

February 26, 2008

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Profile America for the 26th day of Black History Month. Eddie Robinson became the head football coach of a small segregated college in 1941. He mowed the field himself, taped players’ ankles, and even wrote up the games for the local newspaper. On October 7, 1995, Eddie Robinson accomplished what had been thought to be impossible — winning the 400th game as coach of the same school, now called Grambling State University. When he retired in 1997, Robinson’s team had won 17 conference titles and eight national black college championships. More than 200 of his players went on to play professional football. College football games in the U.S. are attended each year by 48 million fans. This special edition of Profile America for Black History Month is a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.