GRAMBLING, La.- In celebration of the 150^th Year of College Football the Southwestern Athletic Conference is proud to recognize several SWAC Football Legends that were coaches and student-athletes within the conference.

The contributions of these notable coaches and student-athletes have helped shaped the proud history and legacy of the SWAC.

Our next installment features student-athletes that played collegiately at Grambling State University (listed in alphabetical order).
 
Grambling State Tigers
 
Willie Brown, (1959-63)
 

• Member of SWAC Hall of Fame
• Earned All-SWAC honors as an outside linebacker for Grambling State
• Selected as an All-SWAC member in Track and Field
• Member of Grambling State Hall of Fame
• Member of Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame

Buck Buchanan, (1959-63)
 

• Defensive end for Grambling State University from 1959-63
• Was an NAIA All-American and a three-time Black College All-American
• Was one of the first of the prototypical defensive lineman, combing size, speed, and strength
• He was the first HBCU student-athlete taken as the No. 1 overall pick in an NFL Draft when the Kansas City Chiefs selected him in 1963
• He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996

Willie Davis, (1953-56)
 

• Was a key figure for the Grambling State Tigers offensively
• Drafted by Cleveland Browns drafted him in 1956 in the 15th-Round
• He was an All-NFL selection five times in six years from 1962 to 1967
• Was selected to play in five consecutive Pro Bowls
• Davis was a major factor in Green Bay’s winning tradition of the 1960s that included five NFL Championships and six divisional titles in eight seasons

 Charlie Joiner, (1965-68)
 

• Joiner won a Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship each year while attending GSU
• During his time in college, Grambling’s record was a staggering 31-9-1, including a 9-1 campaign in 1967 that led to a Black College National Championship
• He led all GSU receivers from 1966-68, gaining 2,066 yards
• Joiner led the team in touchdowns in 1966-67 and received the Outstanding Offensive Player award in the 1968 Little Rose Bowl
• Was named first-team All-SWAC three times and he retired as the then-NFL leader in career receptions, yards, and games played by a wide receiver before being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996

 Doug Williams, (1974-77)
 

• Played quarterback for Grambling State from 1974-77
• He passed for more than 8,000 yards and 93 touchdowns
• Posted a 35-5 overall record as starting quarterback and led the Tigers to three Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) titles
• He was also named the Black College Player of the Year twice 
• Finished fourth in the 1977 Heisman Trophy voting and in 2001, Williams was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame

Coaching Legend Spotlight

Eddie Robinson, (1941-97)

Eddie Robinson was the first football coach in National Collegiate Athletic Association history to win 400 games.

Robinson helped build Grambling State Football from a small all-black college to an world known predominantly black university with 5,000 students.

He helped make Grambling State University famous while coaching his teams to a 408-165-15 overall record.

More than 200 of Robinson’s players went on to play in the National Football League. He was head coach at Grambling STate from 1941 to 1997, although the university had no football teams in 1943 and ’44 because of World War II.

In 2019 Robinson was selected as one of the top five coaches in the history of college football by ESPN.

*Note: This is not a comprehensive listing, student-athletes names listed above were submitted by respective SWAC member institution.
 
About #CFB150 Anniversary
College Football 150^th Anniversary is a non-profit corporation formed to plan and administer a national celebration of 150 seasons of collegiate football in 2019.

The commemoration will showcase the rich history and traditions of the sport and its contribution to American society and culture, while also promoting the opportunity it continues to provide to thousands of student-athletes across all levels of the sport.

The CFB150 staff reports to a Board of Directors made up of representatives from stakeholder groups throughout college football.  The corporation has office space at the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame headquarters in Irving, Texas. 
  
About the SWAC
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is considered one of the premier HBCU conferences in the country and currently ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of HBCU alumni playing with professional sports teams.
 
Current championship competition offered by the league includes competition for men in Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field and Tennis.
 
Women’s competition is offered in the sports of Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, Soccer, Softball, Tennis and Volleyball.
 
Follow the SWAC
For complete coverage of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, please follow the SWAC on social media at @TheSWAC (Twitter), @TheSWAC (Facebook), and @TheSWAC (Instagram) or visit the official home of the Southwestern Athletic Conference at www.swac.org.