'a Man Has Got To Go With What He Believes'

Grambling's first-string quarterback, James Harris, had suffered a shin injury and Robinson had not used him, but he sent Harris into the game in the last minutes and the Tigers began to move—zip, zip, zip. Now they were at Morgan State's two with 37 seconds left, and Henry Jones, a 235-pound fireplug of a fullback, was crashing straight ahead. Not quite enough. It was still a yard to victory and only 16 seconds left. Time out.

On the sidelines Robinson's assistant coaches were urging him to go for a field goal. "No," said Robinson, "let's win it the right way." Again the call went to Jones, wedge right, and a ton and a half of beef crashed head-on. "Touchdown," shouted an official. "No," called another. "What do you mean, no?" shouted Jones. "I was over the other time, too." Of course, the official who said no prevailed, and Grambling didn't, so now everybody was on Robinson for not going for the field goal.

"Why, it wouldn't have even been a field goal from that close," he said frowning. "Just a little old extra point. Maybe, I don't know. Maybe—but I tell you we've been working on that play. In the heat of battle sometimes you don't make the right decision. I guess this was one of those times. The thing is I'm the goat, not the team. I called that play, nobody else. But a man has got to go with what he believes."