Big Loss Spoils Robinson’s Big Day

In a pregame ceremony at Giants Stadium, Grambling coach Eddie Robinson called being elected to the College Football Hall of Fame Saturday “one of the greatest moments of my life.”

What happened afterward fell considerably short of that. Hampton capitalized on a slew of Grambling mistakes to rout the Tigers, 42-7, in the New York Urban League Football Classic before a crowd of 49,156.

The loss put a damper on the Hall of Fame news, but it did not dim the accomplishments that led the selection committee to waive its eligibility rule requiring a three-year wait after retirement.

No matter what happens in the rest of what is shaping up as a difficult farewell season, Robinson will leave the college game with more career victories than any other coach. The Tigers’ head man since 1941, he has a 406-160-15 record and has won nine National Black College championships.

More than 200 of his players have played in the NFL.