By T. Scott Boatright
A key assistant coach during College Hall of Fame football coach Eddie Robinson’s heyday in the 1960 and ‘70s — Doug Porter — died Wednesday at the age of 94 in Ruston.
Porter, who was born in Memphis and played collegiately at Xavier of New Orleans, started his coaching career as an assistant at Tennessee High School before returning to Xavier in 1955 as backfield coach.
He then served as head coach at Mississippi Vocational College, renamed Mississippi Valley State in 1964, from 1961-65 before being brought aboard by Robinson to direct the Tigers’ offensive attack.
Porter said the chance to work alongside Robinson in what was basically a demotion to offensive coordinator, is what made him decide to take Robinson’s offer to join the staff at Grambling.
The opportunity to coach future legends and Louisiana Sports Hall of Famers such as James “Shack” Harris and Frank Lewis, also played a role in Porter’s decision.
Grambling won six Southwestern Athletic Conference titles in the eight years Porter served under Robinson — three with Harris going 31-9-1 as his quarterback.
“Most people don’t know how special a coach he was,” Harris said. “He coached at small schools, and sometimes probably got overlooked because of that, but he did an outstanding job wherever he coached. He just had a great football mind.”
In 1974, just as a freshman named Doug Wiliams was about to take over the quarterbacking reins at Grambling, Porter moved on to become head coach at Howard University, leading the Bison to a record of 30-21-2 mark over five seasons.
Porter then served as head coach at Fort Valley State from 1979-97, assuming double duty as athletics director in 1981.
There Porter led his Wildcats to seven Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships between 1980-92, including four in a row from 1982-85, amassing a coaching record at Fort Valley of 112-66-3.
Porter was a seven-time SIAC Coach of the Year and inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008 and the FVSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.
He then returned to Grambling, rejoining Robinson as a key consulting coach for the Tigers after amassing a head coaching record of 166-107-5 with only five losing seasons out of 26 at the helm of a collegiate football program.
Porter would go on to do the same for those who followed Robinson’s GSU coaching steps, including Williams, Melvin Spears, Rod Broadway and Broderick Fobbs.
“Coach Porter always kept his house in Grambling even when he was off coaching in D.C. (at Howard) and Georgia,” Williams said. “So, when I took over as coach at Grambling, I told him I wanted him there. What he was for me was one of those guys who had been around and seen everything.
“So, he came to practice. He even traveled with us when I was coaching at Grambling. And I told him, ‘Coach, whatever you see — what I’m doing wrong or what you see going on, don’t be afraid to let me know.’ And that’s what he did. After practice, if he thought it looked all right, he went home. But if he didn’t like what he saw, then he’d be sitting there waiting for me in my office when I walked in.”
Williams said Porter simply had a knack for making those around him better.
“He was one of those guys you wanted around,” Williams said. “He knew how to win and how to help you win. He had so much knowledge about football, and just about life. He was a big part of what was going on wherever he was, so I was sure glad he ended up making Grambling his longtime home.”
College Baseball Hall of Fame Coach Wilbert Ellis got to know Porter when Ellis was an assistant hardball coach at GSU when Porter was serving under Coach Rob and got even closer when Porter retired from coaching and returned to Grambling.
“He was one of those people who just liked helping others,” Ellis said. “He had a great coaching mind, but that wasn’t all. He was knowledgeable about so many things. He worked with the Grambling Foundation, he worked with the city of Grambling’s Housing department. He just wanted to always be involved with helping others.
“The fact that he came back home to Grambling shows how much being here meant to him. And he probably meant even more than that to Grambling, both the university and the city. He was a special man.”
Williams called Porter one of the kinds of people who affected everyone he met.
“Everybody loved Coach Porter,” Williams said. “He was that kind of guy. We lost a good one. Coach Porter was a great one.”
