A Return To Glory Doug Williams has Grambling rolling over opponents again
In his 57 years at Grambling, including 45 winning seasons, Eddie
Robinson coached only two teams, in 1942 and '55, to a perfect
record. In his fourth year as Robinson's successor, Doug
Williams, the former Washington Redskins quarterback who was MVP
of the 1988 Super Bowl, has a good chance of leading the Tigers
to their third undefeated season since 1941. Grambling was 7-0
after last Saturday's 43-3 victory over Texas Southern and is
expected to be favored over the three teams remaining on the
Tigers' schedule (Alabama State, Nicholls State and Southern).
"Last year we were good; this year we're putting it all
together," says senior wideout Levi Washington, who has played on
Williams-coached teams that went 5-6 in 1998, 7-4 in '99 and 10-2
in 2000, when the Tigers won their first outright SWAC title
since 1989. "The spirit of Grambling is where it was in the early
days of Coach Rob."
When Williams left Division II Morehouse College in Atlanta after
one year to replace the winningest coach in the history of
college football, he inherited a 3-8 team whose last home game
under Robinson was witnessed by 4,037 fans. Williams set about
rebuilding the Tigers--cutting more than two dozen players, almost
all of them walk-ons, and bringing in 26 new ones in the eight
months before his first game--and replacing Robinson's creaky wing
T with a multiple-set offense. To bulk up the defense and reduce
injuries, Williams intensified the weight program, which had been
conducted in the stadium's lower level for three decades before a
new field house opened in 1999. The plan seems to be working:
Only one Grambling starter has been sidelined by injury for one
or more games this season.
The NFL is taking note. "Scouts from every team have been through
here at least once this year to watch tape," says Williams, whose
top receiver from last season, Scotty Anderson, became the
Tigers' first NFL draft pick in seven years when the Detroit
Lions chose him in the fifth round. Just as important, the fans
are back; 22,736 showed up for Saturday's game at Robinson
Stadium.
Trouble is, even though the Tigers entered last weekend ranked
No. 6 in the division, they won't test their mettle in the
playoffs, choosing instead to close the regular season with their
annual grudge match against Southern in the SuperDome, which
draws more than 60,000 fans. "For several years the playoffs have
overlapped with the Bayou Classic, which produces upward of
$700,000 for us, much more than we would make playing four
playoff games," says athletic director Al Dennis. "We're not
willing to tinker with that."
The more pressing issue for Grambling is, How long can it keep
Williams around? The school offered him a three-year contract
extension in August, but at a lower figure than he had proposed
last January. He says he plans to meet with the university's
acting president, Neari Warner, later in the season to discuss
the possibility of getting more money as well as bonuses for his
assistants. "I've received a couple of informal calls from other
teams, and I'm sure I'll get offers before the year is over,"
says Williams. "Grambling is where my heart is, but coaching is a
business. Still, I'm in no rush to accept anything. I'm in the
middle of a great season."
COLOR PHOTO: TOM PENNINGTON Can the Tigers hold on to Williams, who's 17-2 the past two seasons?
