Eddie G. Robinson Museum

Eddie Robinson took his first coaching job in 1941 at a segregated teachers' college in Grambling, and he never worked anywhere else. He coached the Grambling Tigers for 55 years, through 1997, with 408 wins and a winning percentage of .844, and sent more than 200 players to the pros. As a boy in the state capital he could attend games at the state university only by arriving at 5 a.m. on Saturdays to clean the stadium.

The museum is in the former women's gymnasium on the Grambling campus. A special bill passed by the Louisiana Legislature in 1999 established it, and the state operates it. It opened in 2010, three years after Robinson died, and about 900 coaches, admirers and former players came, among them the head coaches of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Notre Dame. Inside, a bronze statue of Coach Rob stands in the middle of one exhibit room, a timeline follows milestones in the lives of Robinson and his players and in the history of Grambling State University, and several sections are interactive.

The setting is part of the story. When Robinson arrived, Grambling was an unincorporated hamlet where the mail came by train, and students helped harvest peaches and sweet potatoes from the college farm. The museum is at 126 Jones Street and is free. Listings give different days and hours, so call 318-548-1329 before driving out.