An attorney for the city of Grambling, La., has filed a request to the NCAA asking the governing body to vacate some of Joe Paterno’s record 409 Division I victories.
Grambling is the home of Grambling State University. Coach Eddie Robinson led Grambling to 408 victories during his career with the Tigers, a total that was passed by Paterno less than two weeks before he was fired as the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal broke.
Grambling athletic director Percy Caldwell said he had no knowledge of the request and that the school was not involved.
City attorney Pamela Breedlove said she filed the request with the approval of Mayor Edward Jones because the university is such a valued and important part of the city.
The Shreveport (La.) Times first reported the request.
Breedlove said she did not have an opinion about how many victories should be vacated. The three-page request she sent to the NCAA details the city’s position, which says that the Freeh Report’s conclusions are enough evidence to give the record back to Robinson.
“We just believe that you would want to associate the record with someone who had the character of coach (Eddie) Robinson,” Breedlove said. “Especially now that we’ve come to realize how bad things really were (at Penn State).”
Robinson, who died in 2007, had 45 winning seasons during his career that spanned more than half a century.
Grambling plays in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA), a step below the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A), which is where Penn State competes.
