Doris Robinson, wife of legendary GSU football coach, dies
22nd September 2015 · 0 Comments
Doris Robinson, the wife of legendary Grambling State University football coach Eddie G. Robinson, passed away Wednesday morning at the age of 96.
The Eddie G. Robinson Museum, located on the Grambling State University campus, announced Doris Robinson’s passing, noting that she had attended a reception there the week before she passed away. It was also noted that Mrs. Robinson’s health had been declining in recent years.
The News Star reported that news about the passing of the First Lady of GSU Football spread quickly on social media. By many accounts, she was widely known for her grace and wit as well as her unwavering support for her husband, one of the longest-serving and most successful coaches in the history of college football.
Loved ones and members of the GSU Tiger Nation shared their thoughts and memories of Doris Robinson with the world last week.
“My grandmother epitomized class and grace. And even in her final days, she lived just that way,” Cherie Kirkland said Wednesday. “We are comforted in knowing that she is, once again, with her lifelong love.”
Doris Robinson was preceded in death by her husband, who passed away in 2007 at the age of 88; her son, Eddie Robinson Jr., who passed away in 2013; and her daughter, Lillian Rose Broaden, who passed away last year.
It was clear to all who knew Doris Robinson that she meant much more to the GSU Family than just the wife of a college football coaching legend.
In that spirit, she was honored in 2014 as a contributor to the Grambling Legends Hall of Fame.
“She was like a mother to all of us here at Grambling State University,” GSU football coach Broderick Fobbs told The News-Star on Wednesday. “It’s a tough situation but selfishly we want her to be here with us but all of us have our time when we must go. We’re just mourning the loss, but also happy and hopefully we get to see her one day.”
Before Coach Rob’s passing in 2007, the couple shared 66 years of wedded bliss after marrying in 1941— the same year the two English majors graduated from Leland College. Doris accepted a post as a teacher at Lincoln High School and as a counselor at Ruston High School.
Kirkland told The News-Star that her grandfather called the love of his life “Baby,” a term of endearment adopted by the couple’s children, grandchildren, extended family and friends.
“This term of endearment was indicative of the love affair my grandparents shared,” Kirkland said. “They were truly a team.
“If you’ve ever heard him speak, he never ended without mentioning “one wife, one job, one school.’ No doubt he would have been successful, but the Eddie Robinson we knew wouldn’t be without Doris Robinson. She embraced all of the football players that he coached as her own sons, welcoming them into our home for meals, advice or just to talk. She helped him write his speeches and chose his suits and ties. She consoled him after tough losses and celebrated his many accomplishments. And she did the same for our family and much more.”
Fobbs, who played at GSU under Coach Rob from 1992-96, told The News-Star he has learned to appreciate what a coach’s wife does more than ever before during his past two years as Grambling’s head coach.
“Having been in this situation and being a head football coach at Grambling like Coach Robinson was, I really truly understand the importance of having a strong wife beside you,” Fobbs explained. “I can only imagine how strong Mrs. Robinson was when it came to all the years she had to stay beside Coach Robinson’s side to really help him and nurture through all the situations that occur in college football.”
Doris Mott Robinson was a stabilizing and fortifying force in Coach Rob’s life, standing by the charismatic coach’s side throughout a career at Grambling that spanned 55 seasons from 1941-42 and 1945-97.
By the time he called it quits, Robinson had posted a 408-165-15 career record and sent more than 200 of his players on to NFL careers, including Hall of Famers Buck Buchanan, Charlie Joiner, Willie Brown and Willie Davis. Other standouts included Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams, former Minnesota Vikings great Sammy White and former Dallas Cowboys great Everson Walls.
“She actually gave her husband what he needed to get back out there and fight every day for Grambling State University,” Fobbs told the Louisiana Radio Network. “So she’s just as important as Coach Robinson has been for Grambling State University.”
GSU former players, supporters and alumni said Doris Robinson’s passing is a wake-up call that reminds them of the incredible legacy that they are all a part of and the importance of continuing to strive throughout life to create greater opportunity for future generations.
“It’s up to us to make sure we carry the torch and keep this thing going in the way that he wanted it to go,” Fobbs told The News-Star.
“She will be greatly missed by the Grambling family, alumni and others for the contributions that she made along with her husband, Coach Robinson, mentoring future professional football players and helping to bring racial awareness to a segregated South during his tenure at Grambling State University,” the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus said in a statement Wednesday.
“The LLBC is deeply saddened by this loss and sends its condolences and prayers to the Robinson and Grambling State University family.”
This article originally published in the September 21, 2015 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
