College Penn State, Columbia Role American football player High school Peabody High School Died December 1971 | 1920-1921 Catholic Cardinals Name Harry Robb | |
Date of birth (1897-05-11)May 11, 1897 Place of birth Pitcairn, Pennsylvania, United States Date of death December 1971 (aged 74) Education Columbia University, Pennsylvania State University Positions Halfback, Fullback, Quarterback, Head coach Battles and wars World War I, Western Front | ||
Service/branch United States Army Allegiance United States of America | ||
Harry Duplein Robb (May 11, 1897 – December 1971) was an American football player and coach during the 1920s.
Contents
College and military
Robb was born in Pitcairn, Pennsylvania and attended Peabody High School in Pittsburgh. Upon his high school graduation, he attended college at both Penn State University and Columbia University. Playing the positions of halfback, fullback and quarterback, Robb was a standout in football at the college level. In 1916, he scored 36 points for the Nittany Lions against Gettysburg College, establishing the record for most points scored in a game by a Penn State player.
He was elected captain of the Penn State football team in 1917, however he enlisted in the US Army instead, serving as a lieutenant during World War I. He was again elected to capatin the 1918 Penn State team, however after receiving his commission as a lieutenant his college career moved him to Columbia University, where he played end. During the war, he was stationed with the 79th Infantry Division in France. However, he still played football for the 79th Division and was selected for the All-AEF team. He rejoined Penn State in 1919.
Professional career
Robb made his professional debut in 1921, in the American Professional Football League (which was renamed the National Football League in 1922) with the Canton Bulldogs, playing alongside football legend Jim Thorpe. At Canton, he helped the Bulldogs win back-to-back NFL Championships in 1922 and 1923. In 1924, the Pottsville Maroons of Pennsylvania's Anthracite League signed Robb for their season which resulted in the Maroons winning the Anthracite League Championship. He then returned to Canton and coached the Bulldogs for two seasons beginning in 1925. He then returned to the field as a player, signing with the Pottsville Maroons, who were now members of the National Football League, playing alongside football greats Johnny "Blood" McNally and Pete Henry. Robb remained with Pottsville until the team relocated to Boston in 1929.
Robb's whereabouts after 1928 are only speculative, but it is possible that he took up coaching outside of professional football. In 1962, he donated a wool Canton Bulldogs warm-up sideline jacket from the early 1920s to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 1963, Robb represented his former teammate, Wilbur Henry, as Henry was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.