It’s official, history has returned home. Just as Lombardi is back in Green bay, Doug Williams is back in Grambling. Grambling State University held a 10 a.m press conference on February 15 in the Eddie Robinson Museum, where Super Bowl MVP, Hall-of-Famer, living legend Doug Williams was announced as the Tigers head football coach.
“I didn’t come here today to leave tomorrow,” are the words said by Williams that nearly took the roof off the Eddie Robinson museum.
After an eight-year hiatus Williams has returned to his alma mater the place that pioneered his success for the third time.
“As the athletic director, I’m excited to have Doug Williams return to Grambling State University,” Lin Dawson said as he welcomed Coach Doug Williams.
“I know the student-athletes, the students, the faculty, administration, alumni and the fans are excited as well.
“We’re looking forward to continuing a new era of championship football.”
Williams started his success at Grambling as student athlete from 1974-78 and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting in his senior year.
Williams then left for to the NFL where he led the Washington Redskins in a Super bowl Victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII.
He then became the first African-American to play and lead his team to a Super Bowl Victory.
After a great deal of success in the NFL Williams returned to Grambling for the second time, this ,time as the head football coach in 1998-2003 where he lead the Tigers to three consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference titles.
Here in his third term at Grambling the Tigers age looking to repeat history.
Everyone who has coached at Grambling has been a champion. Williams is going to be no different.
The fans, players, staff, and the alumni are all excited for the return of Grambling State’s favorite son.
“Just the fact that Doug Williams knows how to win,” said Linebacker Nick Powell.
“He is a good man. He is a family man. He has been in Grambling, so he knows what it takes to win at Grambling.
“He is going to bring a lot of alumni and support back to Grambling and were just happy for him to be our coach.”
Grambling State’s favorite son is returning home, and his son in coming along.
Doug Williams, III who shined as quarterback in the Florida and Virginia prep rank was recruited by Middle Tennessee State Western Carolina Southern but deiced to take his talents to Grambling where he will one of the G-Men in the 2011 season.
“He got to prove that he can play first, that’s number one,” Coach Williams said.
“He’s not going to just play to play and I think he knows that. He knows what’s he dealing with and we’ll go from there.”
There aren’t many coaches who get the opportunity to coach their son at the collegiate level and this is the second time in Grambling State’s history where they are a coach and son duo.
The first coach and son duo was Eddie Robinson and Eddie Robinson Jr.
Coach Williams has not yet received the scouting report on his son yet but if he is anything like his father then I’m pretty sure that he is a winner.