Grambling May Force Robinson Out of Job

Eddie Robinson, college football’s winningest coach, has been told by Grambling he must quit as coach, ESPN reported Monday.

The cable network cited unidentified sources as saying Robinson, 77, must either resign or take a vice president’s position at the school where he has been the head for 55 years.

ESPN quoted Robinson’s grandson, Air Force Capt. Mike Watkins, as saying his grandfather was refusing to resign. Watkins said Robinson wants to coach one more year for a “farewell tour.”

The ultimatum reportedly came from university president Ray Hicks, who could not be reached for comment Monday. Neither could Robinson.

Grambling ended its season at 3-8 with a loss to Southern University in the annual Bayou Classic. It marked the first time Robinson, who has 405 victories, coached the team through back-to-back losing seasons, and it was the fourth losing season in 10 years. He had only two losing seasons in all the years before that.

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About 20 years after fulfilling his dream of playing for Bear Bryant at Alabama, Mike Dubose, as expected, got Bryant’s old job as coach of the Crimson Tide.

Athletic Director Bob Bockrath announced the promotion the Crimson Tide’s defensive coordinator at a news conference packed with former players and other alumni.

Bockrath said details of Dubose’s contract have not been worked out. He said he expected the deal to be at least three years, maybe longer.

Gene Stallings, who is retiring, will coach Alabama through its Jan. 1 appearance in the Outback Bowl against Michigan.

“This is proof that dreams do come true,” said Dubose, 43, a member of Bryant’s Crimson Tide teams during 1972-74.

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Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden didn’t have to worry too long about how he’d motivate his players for a second meeting with Florida in less than five weeks in the Jan. 2 Sugar Bowl.

Florida Coach Steve Spurrier took care of it for him, charging top-ranked Florida State with playing dirty.

Spurrier, who has been fuming about Florida State’s aggressive defense since a 24-21 loss Nov. 30 in Tallahassee, Fla., took his discontent national and said the third-ranked Gators would retaliate in their rematch.

“We aren’t going to go up there to the Sugar Bowl and take the crap that we took in Tallahassee,” said Spurrier, who accused Florida State of trying to injure quarterback Danny Wuerffel the showdown of the nation’s top two teams. “What we’ve got to do is hit back.”

Spurrier, who is 2-5-1 against Florida State including a 1995 Sugar Bowl loss, said Bowden and defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews are responsible for Florida State’s roughhouse tactics.

“FSU admits they try to knock the quarterback out of the game,” Spurrier said.

Bowden, out of town recruiting, has not responded to Spurrier’s criticism.

The Seminoles were whistled twice for late hits in their victory over Florida. They sacked Wuerffel six times and knocked him down at least two dozen other times as he was throwing passes.

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There were indications that USC offensive coordinator Mike Riley is close to getting the Oregon State head coaching job.

Oregon State sources said Riley was on campus Monday, presumably to meet with Athletic Director Dutch Baughman and president Paul G. Risser.

Last week, Riley asked that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers withdraw his name from consideration for the head coaching job vacancy there.

Riley, 43, who just finished his fourth season on USC’s staff, would succeed Jerry Pettibone, 56, fired recently after a fifth consecutive losing season.

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Chris Canty, All-American cornerback for No. 14 Kansas State, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, campus police said.

Canty, 20, a junior, was arrested at 2:53 a.m. by campus police near the student union. Kansas State police Capt. Robert Mellgren said Canty was stopped for speeding--32 mph in a 20-mph zone--and for a burned-out taillight.

A breath test showed that Canty’s blood-alcohol content was above the .08-percent legal limit, Mellgren said. He did not say how much above.

Canty is a finalist this year for the Jim Thorpe Award for cornerbacks, to be announced Thursday.

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Western Athletic Conference Commissioner Karl Benson, angry over the bowl system, said the league will not immediately sue the bowl alliance.

The alliance is designed to put the nation’s top teams in the three most lucrative bowl games--the Sugar, Orange and Fiesta--but WAC champion Brigham Young did not receive an alliance invitation despite its No. 5 ranking and will instead play No. 14 Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl.

“At this juncture, a decision has not been made whether to file any type of [legal] claim,” Benson said. “We believe it’s more important over the course of the next month to focus on the success of BYU and Utah in their bowl games.”

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Florida defensive coordinator Bob Stoops has turned down the head coaching job at the University of Minnesota, according to WCCO Radio in Minneapolis.