WHEN people compare football to religion, it’s usually an unfortunate exaggeration – but not when it comes to Grambling and legendary savior Eddie Robinson.

“We thought he had a contract with the Lord,” quarterback James Harris says of his former coach.

Robinson’s football teachings at an all-black college in a small corner of northwest Louisiana did everything religion strives to do: provide hope and inspiration, unite a community, and set a path to a fulfilling life.

“[My mom] said, ‘Well, Coach Robinson said you were going to go to church, you were going to go to class, and you were going to graduate,’ ” quarterback Doug Williams says. “And the case was closed.”

The Bayou Classic, a Thanksgiving weekend tradition, will be played today for the first time without Robinson, who died April 3 at age 88.

At 1:30, prior to kickoff between Grambling and Southern, NBC will air “Every Man A Tiger,” a half-hour, commercial-free tribute to Robinson’s legacy narrated by Andre Braugher. With former Post columnist Jerry Izenberg a central figure, the documentary is rich with archival footage revealing the man and the mythology.

It explains how Grambling players established a foundation for many African American players who followed, including Super Bowl quarterbacks Steve McNair and Donovan McNabb.

It’s a chapter-and-verse in football history that rarely is revealed. For Robinson, who won a record 408 games over 57 seasons, coaching was his calling.

I’ve read ‘To whom a lot is given a lot is expected,’ ” Robinson says. “Well these young men give you everything they have, and you in turn got to give them everything you have.”