One job. One wife. One Man.Who wouldn’t want to be like Eddie G. Robinson? The man did things that many said he couldn’t do. He took a small-time college football team and made them the “Icon” known as Grambling State University – or the G-Men, as some affectionately call them.
He coached more than football. He tried his hand at women’s basketball and men’s basketball. He was also more than a coach. Let alumni tell it, Coach Rob was THE MAN. No one could touch him. But it’s not just alumni. People across the state love Coach Rob, which was shown when his body got to lie in state for a week after his death.
His aura even reached those that did not attend Grambling.Rod Broadway, current head GSU football coach, said, “Coach Robinson was a name that all Black kids looked up to.
It was truly an honor to have the opportunity to talk to a man like that. My first stop after arriving at Grambling as head coach, I went by and saw Coach Robinson and his wife. It was an honor.”
He was a leader, a motivator and a true American. I want to have a lasting impact on the lives of others, whether I’m remembered for it or not.
“I never met Coach Robinson. I never played for him. Never been in the same room with him,” said Mike Tomlin, head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“I’m a generation probably removed from the people he directed and impacted, but impacted in a big way nonetheless.
“You see, I am inspired and mentored and groomed by those whom he touched. That ultimately speaks to the legacy of the man.”
I figured out how I can be like the great coach. My job is to make people smile through their hardest times.
With photography, I think I accomplish that pretty well at times.
Sometimes, people send me messages saying how much they like my photography. Some have even said I am the best photographer – a sentiment which I heavily disagree with.
But it’s messages like those that let me know I’m doing a pretty good job.
One job is down – check. But what about one wife?
Unfortunately, I have not been blessed to have a wife placed in my life.
But, as Coach Rob did, when I get married, I plan to stay married.
The word “divorce” will not be in my vocabulary when defining my relationship.
I’m sure that Coach Rob and Doris Robinson – his wife – weathered some tough times, but through it all, they made it work – for 67 blissful years.
In the end, I hope that I’m like Coach Rob – a man that touched many lives and was a great role model. My only hope is that after all of my offerings to the world somewhere, someone says,
“I want to be like Darryl D.