Never Before, Never Again: The Autobiography of Eddie Robinson

Grambling State's Eddie Robinson started coaching college football when FDR was in the White House and didn't stop until Bill Clinton's second term. Along the way, he racked up 408 victories, but his real legacy isn't in the stats. A black man coaching black athletes in the Deep South for 57 seasons, Robinson witnessed and took part in amazing changes in society and in his sport, battling prejudice and hatred to earn respect for himself and opportunity for his players. Never Before, Never Again plays gamely in both those arenas--society and sport--because it has to; for Robinson they are one and the same.

"I never thought that schools like LSU and Alabama would integrate," he can admit, aware that great performances by black athletes competing at those schools played a big part in their integration. Yet, amidst the upheavals of the '60s, he also knew that doing his job wasn't just about coaching football. He learned to harness that anger at the criticism hurled his way from more militant quarters: "I wasn't going to go out and hurt somebody or let one of my own get hurt to disprove that I was an Uncle Tom." Robinson proved his talents year in and year out, winning not just games and championships, but respect and admiration. He also helped change the face of his game in college and beyond, sending more than 200 players to the NFL, including Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams. The candor of Never Before, Never Again is as refreshing as it is revealing; the story itself is pure inspiration. --Jeff Silverman