Grambling State University

Grambling State University is home to the acclaimed Mighty Tiger Marching Band. It’s also where the legendary Eddie Robinson became the first college football coach to record 400 wins. Catch the history of the university and its traditions at the Alumni Hall of Fame Galleries of Distinction, located throughout campus.

History

Located in Lincoln Parish, the Grambling community emerged in the 1870s as an enclave of independent African American property owners, and eventually became the first all-black municipality in Louisiana. The university opened in 1905 as an agricultural and industrial school, and eventually blossomed into an accredited institute of higher learning. The Charles Adams House, home of the founder and first president, is incredibly important due to Adams’ long association with the university.

Coach Eddie Robinson

But Grambling is perhaps best known for the long and storied career of head football coach Eddie Robinson, one of the most respected and beloved coaches in American history, and one of only two to roll up over 400 victories. Coach Robinson spent his entire career, from 1941 to 1997, at Grambling, and sent over 200 players into the National Football League, including four Hall of Famers. Equally as respected off the field as on it, Robinson molded several generations of young African American men who would go on to make their marks in professional careers, and serve as leaders in the struggle for equal rights. A small gallery located on campus serves as a temporary tribute to “Coach Rob,” while the Eddie Robinson Museum is in the process of a major fundraising campaign and renovation.