Eddie Robinson, all 88 years on the planet and 57 of them as a head coach at Grambling, died early this morning in Louisiana. Robinson coached more games at a single institution than anyone who ever lived, and probably will hold on to that record unless there’s a vampire coaching quietly somewhere down in 1-AA. (”Wonder why that guy always wants to play night games…”)

Robinson started coaching Grambling in 1941. He coached his final game at Grambling in 1997. In between, he logged 408 victories, sent Hall of Famers like Willie Davis and Chuck Joiner to the NFL, and claimed to graduate 85% of his players along the way. Read this bit from USA Today’s superb obit on him and wonder at the eccentric, maniacal work ethic driving people who decide to enter coaching

When he began his career, Robinson had no paid assistants, no groundskeepers, no trainers and little in the way of equipment. He had to line the field himself and fix lunchmeat sandwiches for road trips because the players could not eat in the “white only” restaurants of the South.

We hate it when old guys die. Rest in peace, Coach Robinson.