Alfred James "Robbie" Robertson (May 19, 1891 – October 30, 1948) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player, track athlete, coach, and college athletics administrator. He spent most of his coaching career at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, where he was the athletic director and head coach in football, basketball, and baseball from 1920 to 1948. Robertson Memorial Field House, the former home basketball venue at Bradley, was named in his honor.
 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 19, 1891 South Haven, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | October 30, 1948 (aged 57) Rochester, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1910–1912 | Carleton |
| 1913 | Minnesota (freshmen) |
| 1914–1915 | Montana |
| Basketball | |
| 1910–1913 | Carleton |
| 1913–1914 | Minnesota (freshmen) |
| 1914–1916 | Montana |
| Position(s) | Quarterback (football) Forward (basketball) Third baseman (baseball) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1919 | Fort Hays State |
| 1920–1947 | Bradley / Bradley Tech |
| Basketball | |
| 1918–1919 | Georgetown (KY) |
| 1919–1920 | Fort Hays State |
| 1920–1948 | Bradley / Bradley Tech |
| Baseball | |
| 1919 | Georgetown (KY) |
| 1921–1948 | Bradley / Bradley Tech |
| Track | |
| 1919 | Georgetown (KY) |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1919–1920 | Fort Hays State |
| 1920–1948 | Bradley / Bradley Tech |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 147–70–10 (football) 330–198 (basketball) 244–157–6 (baseball, Bradley only) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Football 4 IIAC (1925–1927, 1937) 1 ICC (1938) | |
Playing career
editA native of South Haven, Minnesota, Robertson lettered in football, basketball, and track at Carleton College. In 1912, he captained the football team and was named All-State quarterback. He played as a forward on Carleton's basketball team and as a third baseman in baseball. Robertson spent the 1913–14 academic year at the University of Minnesota, where he played on the freshman football and basketball squads.[1] He transferred to the University of Montana in 1914, where he lettered in football, basketball, baseball, and track. At Montana, he again played quarterback before graduating in 1916.[2][3]
Coaching career
editRobertson began his coaching career in 1917 at Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro, Kentucky. From January to June 1919, he coached basketball, baseball, and track at Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky. Robertson spent the 1919–20 academic year at Fort Hays Kansas State Normal School—now known as Fort Hays State University—as athletic director and coach of all sports.[1] He led the 1919 Fort Hays football team to a record of 3–6.[4]
Illness and death
editRobertson was hospitalized in October 1948 in Peoria, Illinois and had surgery for a "rare liver aliment" at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota later that month. He died on October 30, at the Saint Mary's Hospital in Rochester, at the age of 57.[5]
Legacy
editRobertson Memorial Field House was dedicated to Robertson's memory on December 17, 1949.[6] In 2008, Robertson was named to the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame.[7] A bronze statue, sculted by Fisher Stolz, of Robertson on Bradley University's West Campus was unveiled in December 2012.[8]
Head coaching record
editFootball
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Hays State Tigers (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) (1919) | |||||||||
| 1919 | Fort Hays State | 3–6 | 3–4 | T–7th | |||||
| Fort Hays State: | 3–6 | 3–4 | |||||||
| Bradley Indians/Braves (Independent) (1920–1922) | |||||||||
| 1920 | Bradley | 4–4 | |||||||
| 1921 | Bradley | 8–2 | |||||||
| 1922 | Bradley | 9–0–1 | |||||||
| Bradley Indians/Braves (Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1923–1936) | |||||||||
| 1923 | Bradley | 6–2 | 6–2 | 5th | |||||
| 1924 | Bradley | 8–1 | 7–1 | 3rd | |||||
| 1925 | Bradley | 9–0 | 5–0 | T–1st | |||||
| 1926 | Bradley | 9–0 | 5–0 | T–1st | |||||
| 1927 | Bradley | 6–3 | 6–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1928 | Bradley | 7–2 | 6–1 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1929 | Bradley | 6–3 | 4–2 | T–7th | |||||
| 1930 | Bradley | 4–3–1 | 2–2–1 | T–12th | |||||
| 1931 | Bradley | 5–3 | 4–1 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1932 | Bradley | 3–3–2 | 3–1–1 | T–4th | |||||
| 1933 | Bradley | 3–5–2 | 3–2–1 | 12th | |||||
| 1934 | Bradley | 5–3 | 3–2 | T–8th | |||||
| 1935 | Bradley | 1–6–1 | 1–5–1 | 16th | |||||
| 1936 | Bradley | 6–3 | 6–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1937 | Bradley | 6–3 | 5–0 | T–1st | |||||
| Bradley Tech Braves (Illinois College Conference) (1938–1945) | |||||||||
| 1938 | Bradley Tech | 7–0–1 | 4–0 | T–1st | |||||
| 1939 | Bradley Tech | 6–1–2 | 2–1 | 6th | |||||
| 1940 | Bradley Tech | 4–4 | 0–2 | 9th | |||||
| 1941 | Bradley Tech | 8–1 | 1–0 | 2nd | |||||
| 1942 | Bradley Tech | 4–4 | 0–1 | 6th | |||||
| 1943 | No team—World War II | ||||||||
| 1944 | No team—World War II | ||||||||
| 1945 | No team—World War II | ||||||||
| Bradley Braves (Independent) (1946–1947) | |||||||||
| 1946 | Bradley | 7–2 | |||||||
| 1947 | Bradley | 3–6 | |||||||
| Bradley: | 144–64–10 | 72–26–4 | |||||||
| Total: | 147–70–10 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
edit- ^ a b "Bradley Mentor Was Star Athlete in College Days". The Dispatch. Moline, Illinois. Associated Press. November 18, 1921. p. 24. Retrieved July 18, 2020 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ Kieran, John (March 9, 1938). "Sports of the Times; Popping In From Peoria" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
- ^ "Carleton College: Alumni Council: Alfred J. Robertson". Carleton College. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
- ^ Fort Hays State University coaching records Archived May 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "A. J. Robertson, Bradley Athletic Director, Dies". Palladium-Item. Richmond, Indiana. International News Service. November 1, 1948. p. 8. Retrieved September 12, 2017 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Wessler, Kirk (February 21, 2008). "Robertsons reunite at Field House". The State Journal-Register. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
- ^ "A.J. Robertson Inducted Into MVC Hall of Fame". Bradley University Athletics. March 7, 2008. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
- ^ "The Sporting Statues Project: Alfred Robertson: West Campus, Bradley University, Peoria, IL". www.offbeat.group.shef.ac.uk. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
