Grambling, LA (Sports Network) - Grambling University issued a statement on
Monday afternoon regarding the ascension of legendary head coach Eddie
Robinson to the top of the Division I college football wins list.
The missive came in the wake of the NCAA's sanctions against the Penn State
football program early on Monday, which included the vacating of all wins from
1998-2011. That stripped 111 victories off the record of the late Joe Paterno,
dropping him from 409 wins to 298.
Robinson regained first place with 408, having served at Grambling for six
decades through 1997.
"The Grambling State University family continues to recognize that what
happened at Penn State University was an unfortunate tragedy that is much
larger than athletics and football," said Grambling president Frank G. Pogue,
Ph.D.
"We support the NCAA's decisions regarding the sanctions against Football
Coach Joe Paterno. We will continue to acknowledge the legendary Eddie G.
Robinson as the winningest Division I football coach in American history.
"I have heard the name Eddie G. Robinson nearly all of my life. Having lived
and worked for three years in the culture that Eddie G. Robinson created at
Grambling and having spent more than 15 years as a university president in
Penn State University's culture and the ever-present shadow of the legendary
Joe Paterno, I can easily understand the athletic greatness of Grambling State
University and Penn State. It is easy to see why these two highly successful
coaching giants respected each other. Because of the human being he was known
to be, Eddie G. Robinson would have been the first person to express regrets
about the tragedies that occurred at Penn State that led to the removal of Joe
Paterno as head football coach of the Nittany Lions, and we at Grambling State
University deeply respect the decision of the NCAA to strip Penn State of its
wins from 1998 through 2011.
"We are proud that Coach Eddie Robinson will remain the winningest Division I
football coach in the history of college football."
The Sports Network