Grambling’s Legends Sports Hall of Fame inducted its 18th class Saturday inside the Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center, honoring eight former student-athletes whose achievements helped shape the rich athletic legacy of Grambling State University.
The Class of 2026 includes Reginald Baldwin and Aaron Randall representing baseball; Paul Haynes representing basketball; Leonard Griffin, Gilad Landau and Roderick Henderson representing football; Robin Foster representing softball; and Lennox Yearwood representing track and field.
Landau and Baldwin were unable to attend the event, but the other six inductees spoke during a Friday press conference inside the Eddie G. Robinson Museum before being honored during Saturday’s induction ceremony.
Baldwin played under the legendary leadership of Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones and assistant coach Wilbert Ellis, becoming a four-year starter and earning All-Southwestern Athletic Conference honors while compiling a .375 career batting average. He was named Most Valuable Player in 1976 and demonstrated leadership both on and off the field, including guiding his team in prayer following knee surgery ahead of a key SWAC series. Baldwin was named an All-American in the National Amateur Baseball Congress in 1975 and was drafted by the Houston Astros in 1976, reaching the major leagues in 1978 before a shoulder injury ended his career.
A native of Israel, Landau was a standout kicker for Grambling State from 1991 to 1994, earning national recognition for his performance and resilience. He set records in extra points and field goals while earning two Academic All-American honors. Landau was also the recipient of the Ernie Davis Award, recognizing his perseverance and ability to overcome adversity.
Coming from Alabama, Randall was a standout baseball player for the Tigers from 1971 to 1974. He earned All-SWAC recognition and distinguished himself as a three-year starter and honor roll student-athlete. During his collegiate career, Randall led the team in multiple statistical categories and helped establish a standard of excellence on the field. Drafted by the Chicago Cubs, he played six seasons of professional baseball, contributing to championship teams and earning MVP honors.
“When I was in the ninth or 10th grade during integration, I was the only Black kid in the class of 35 to 40 students,” Randall said. “It was a public speaking class, and I had to do a speech. That speech was on a Black college named Grambling and the number of athletes the school had put into the NFL.
“I knew about those players, but I didn’t know anything about Grambling. But three or four years later, my dad drove me to north Louisiana, and I became a man at Grambling. I remember being in the on-deck circle and this young man leaning on the rail near me. A teammate of mine ran up and told me that young man would do some great things. You know who that young man was? It was former Grambling and Super Bowl MVP quarterback Doug Williams. And he did great things.”
Randall focused on his love for Grambling during Friday’s press conference and again during Saturday’s induction ceremony.
“I love Grambling so much,” Randall said during the press conference. “I talk about Grambling each and every day. I am proud of the time that I was here at Grambling under the tutelage of Grambling President and Head Baseball Coach Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones. We called him ‘Prez.’ Beyond him was the man who took care of me, then-assistant coach and later head coach and College Baseball Hall of Fame coach Wilbert Ellis.
“When I hurt my knee, I woke up in the hospital. I have a little problem with anesthesia and was fighting the nurses, the doctors and everybody. But I didn’t calm down until I heard someone say, ‘Hell baby, it’ll be all right.’ That’s who Coach Ellis is for me.”
Foster came from St. Louis to become part of Grambling State’s first women’s softball team from 1983 to 1986 and was selected as team captain, demonstrating both athletic excellence and leadership. She earned recognition through the National Honor Society and other academic honors while majoring in therapeutic recreation.
Following her time at Grambling State, Foster dedicated more than three decades to youth development, coaching multiple sports and creating programs focused on leadership, mentorship and life skills.
Foster thanked fellow Grambling Legend Pat Bibbs for bringing the sport of softball to Grambling State and serving as its first coach in addition to her role as basketball coach.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better coach who started the program under not the best situations,” Foster said. “It wasn’t a walk in the park. When you’re starting a team, it’s not a cakewalk, but we learned to hit with the four bats that we had and the few balls that we tore up by hitting them so much. We didn’t have a field, so we practiced on the grass by the tennis court. We had T-shirts and shorts, as our first uniforms weren’t truly uniforms. Those came later.”
Foster said she learned about Grambling State by watching the “Grambling’s White Tiger” television movie on a black-and-white television.
“When I got here, it made a difference in my life to know that somebody cared enough about me to make sure I got my education,” Foster said. “I knew it was the right place. Also for my cousin. He didn’t know he was supposed to come to Grambling with me because I filled out his application and then I dragged him here with me.
“Playing softball was one of the best parts of me at Grambling during a time when I was growing into a young lady. And I owe so much to Coach Bibbs, because she took these young kids on that very first female softball team that Grambling State had in 1983 and she built us. She taught us not only to be athletes, but how to also be ladies. And we didn’t get on a bus without being dressed to impress and holding our heads up high.”
Haynes was a dominant force for Grambling State University from 2000 to 2004, earning SWAC Freshman of the Year and SWAC Player of the Year honors while becoming a three-time All-SWAC First Team selection. He finished his collegiate career with 1,958 points and 849 rebounds, earning national recognition as a USA Today Honorable Mention All-American and ESPN Academic All-American.
Following his college career, Haynes competed professionally across multiple leagues and now leads a successful sports psychology business, helping athletes at all levels while continuing to invest in youth development through camps and outreach programs.
“I grew up in Michigan, and coming down here, initially I didn’t know that much about the University,” Haynes said. “I didn’t know much about Grambling growing up in Michigan. But I quickly learned a lot from my coach, Larry Wright, just talking to me about the history so that I could take advantage of the opportunity of being part of the program. That’s what I tried to do when I was here. Just take advantage and understand the people who came before you.
“That was my big takeaway — taking advantage of the opportunity and learning about all the people who came before me. A lot of those people, like Coach Wright, have helped me a lot along the way. I’m just appreciative of the opportunity and the fact I can take advantage of it.”
A standout football player under legendary coach Eddie Robinson, Henderson earned All-American honors and played a key role in Grambling State’s 1992 national championship. Henderson balanced athletics with academic success before pursuing advanced degrees in educational leadership.
He went on to build a distinguished career as an educator and administrator in his hometown of Brookhaven, Mississippi, ultimately serving as superintendent and leading significant improvements in academic performance, infrastructure and student outcomes within his district.
“When I think about Grambling, two words come to mind,” Henderson said. “Those two words are thankful and grateful. Grambling has always had a place in my heart since I was a child, and I always had the desire to play for one of the greatest coaches ever, and we all know that’s Coach Eddie Robinson. And when that opportunity came to me, I was blessed.
“So, I’m grateful and thankful for the friends and family that are here tonight. I’m grateful and thankful to be amongst a group that has made such achievements. I was never the flashiest player. I was 17 years old when I walked onto the Grambling campus. But I was available. And I wanted to make an impact.”
Henderson, whose mother and sister are Grambling State graduates, said he was no stranger to the campus and recalled a recruiting trip that sealed his decision to become part of Grambling State history.
“When we got there, it was on a Saturday, and we went to Coach Rob’s office,” Henderson said. “In the office was Coach Rob, Coach Ellis and Coach Fredrick Hobdy. Coach Robinson’s office was like a museum. I just sat there and looked in awe. All my life I understood the greatness that was Coach Rob and his impact. But to be able to sit there and have a conversation with him in this incredible office was special. Football didn’t even come up.
“What came up was how he wanted me to be the best person I could be — a great American, a great father, a great grandson. We never discussed football. And I was impressed with that. Anyone who tried recruiting me after that, I told them I was going to Grambling. My recruiting was done. The decision was made.”
Griffin earned four letters for the Tigers from 1981 to 1985, establishing himself as a dominant defensive presence with 164 career tackles and 25.5 sacks. He was selected in the third round of the 1986 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, where he played 103 games and made a significant impact at the professional level.
He later returned to Grambling State as a coach and transitioned into education, where he served as an administrator and mentor.
Griffin talked about overcoming a neck injury early after coming to Grambling State that nearly derailed his dream of playing in the NFL.
“When the doctor told me I couldn’t play football anymore, I asked, ‘This year?’” Griffin said. “And the doctor said, ‘No, forever.’ So when I went in to talk to Coach Rob to tell him the news, he said he had already gotten the news. He said, ‘But we’re going to keep you on scholarship. You made that commitment to us, and we made that same commitment to you.’ I welled up again.
“After watching Grambling play for a whole year and having that fire in my heart, I couldn’t take it. So, I went to Coach Rob and asked him to please let me play. He said no. I said, Coach Rob, this is my dream. He said that he understood but didn’t want to have my death or paralysis on his mind. I didn’t give up and kept going to him, and he finally said that if I could find a doctor that said it was OK for me to play, he’d let me back on the team. I found two. They told me I had to be careful and stop using my head to make tackles and that I had to wear a special neck roll.”
But getting back into the Grambling State lineup was still a challenge.
“Coach Rob insisted that I go to a chiropractor every day,” Griffin said. “So, every day before practice, I would catch a van, we’d go to Ruston, and the doctor would stretch me out and pop my neck. Upon my return, I didn’t realize that Robinson had agreed to let me play again but had told the coaching staff not to put me out on the field.
“So, for two years it built up in me, and I finally went to Coach Rob and told him that I didn’t just want to be on the team, I wanted to play. And I had to hear that same sermon again, that he didn’t want to be there if I got injured or whatever the case. But he finally said that if I wanted to play that badly, he’d let me play.”
Griffin said that on the first day of the following spring practice, he was fourth out of five players and that Robinson told the team that whoever had the best practice on Day 1 would move to the top of the depth chart and whoever had the most time at first string during the spring would be the regular season starter.
“Those other guys should have packed their bags,” Griffin said of the players competing against him for the starting role. “It was over. I hadn’t played for two years. No one was going to take that starting job away.”
Yearwood distinguished himself as captain of the track and field team, demonstrating both athletic excellence and leadership, and later represented Trinidad and Tobago in the 1968 Olympic Games.
He went on to achieve significant academic success, earning a Ph.D. and Juris Doctor, and built a distinguished career in academia, law and community service.
“For me, Grambling is more than a university,” Yearwood said. “Grambling is life. And the beauty of life are the humans here then and now. Coming to Grambling was the best thing to ever happen to me.
“It’s such an honor to be part of this group of former athletes. And they’re supporters. And we’ll continue to support the University. We’ll continue to show that it’s a great investment from day to day. I say it loud — I’m Grambling, and I’m proud.”
Together, the Class of 2026 adds another chapter to the enduring story of Grambling State athletics. As Grambling State marks 100 years of Tiger Athletics, this year’s inductees honor champions, leaders and Tigers whose influence continues far beyond the field of competition.
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