Eddie Robinson Jr. has been the coach at Alabama State for the past four seasons, but it was prior work as a linebacker for the Hornets that has led him to the Black College Football Hall of Fame.
Robinson was among the six members of the Black College Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026, which was announced on Thursday.
A walk-on from New Orleans, Robinson earned the SWAC Defensive Player of the Year in 1990 and 1991. He also was selected for the annual Sheridan Broadcasting Network HBCU All-American team for those seasons.
In Robinson’s senior season, Alabama State won the SWAC championship for the first time by sweeping its six conference games.
Robinson began an 11-year NFL career as a second-round selection of the Houston Oilers in 1992. In four seasons with the Oilers, two with the Jacksonville Jaguars, four with the Tennessee Titans and one with the Buffalo Bills, Robinson played in 175 regular-season games, with 163 starts as an outside linebacker.
Robinson also played in 11 NFL playoff games. In 1999, Robinson forced four postseason fumbles in four games as Tennessee reached Super Bowl XXXIV. The St. Louis Rams edged the Titans 23-16 in the NFL championship game.
By that time, Robinson was a member of the SWAC Hall of Fame, having been selected for that honor in 1998.
Robinson becomes the ninth member of the Black College Football Hall of Fame with Alabama football roots. The others are:
Tuskegee coach Cleve AbbottJackson State linebacker Robert Brazile (Vigor High School in Prichard)Grambling State defensive lineman Buck Buchanan (Parker High School in Birmingham)Mississippi Valley State quarterback Parnell Dickinson (Brighton High School)Miles coach Billy JoeAlabama A&M defensive end Robert MathisAlabama A&M wide receiver John Stallworth (Tuscaloosa High School)Tuskegee back Ben Stevenson
The other members of the Black College Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 included Bethune-Cookman defensive back Nick Collins, Florida A&M coach Rudy Hubbard, Fort Valley State defensive back Tyrone Poole and Jackson State wide receiver Jimmy Smith. The Class of 2026 also included Howard alumnus Steve Wyche as a contributor.
The Class of 2026 will be recognized at halftime of the fifth annual Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl on Feb. 21 at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans. NFL Network will telecast the game at 3 p.m. CST.
The Class of 2026 will be enshrined at the 17th annual Black College Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony on June 6 in Atlanta.
Founded in 2009, the Black College Football Hall of Fame is part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio.