Harold J. Robertson (March 4, 1896 – January 7, 1962) was a Canadian-born player and coach of American football. He played one game as a professional football player with the Rochester Jeffersons of the National Football League (NFL) in 1922 and was the head football coach at Oglethorpe University from 1924 to 1933.

Biography

A native of Chambly, Quebec, Robertson grew up in Somerville, Massachusetts, and attended Somerville High School and Worcester Academy. In 1914 and 1915, Robertson and his brother Jim Robertson played summer baseball for the Falmouth "Cottage Club" team in what is now the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

. While Jim played first base, Harry was a catcher, and was reportedly a "fast and aggressive" player. Robertson served in the United States Army during World War I, and played on the football team at Camp Dix in 1918. After his service, Robertson attended

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

, where he played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

as an end, and was team captain. In 1920, Robertson captained his Syracuse squad against his brother Jim, who was captain of the Dartmouth team. Robertson graduated from Syracuse in 1922, and later that year appeared in a single game for the Rochester Jeffersons of the National Football League (NFL), his only game as a professional. Robertson served as a line coach at Syracuse from 1921 to 1923, and became the head football coach at Oglethorpe University in 1924, succeeding his brother, Jim, who had coached the Oglethorpe team in

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

. At Oglethorpe, Robertson led his team to back-to-back

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) was one of the first collegiate athletic conferences in the United States. Twenty-seven of the current Division I FBS (formerly Division I-A) football programs were members of this conferen ...

(SIAA) titles in

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hol ...

and

1925 Events January * January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Italia ...

, and his

1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of V ...

team posted a landmark upset over

William Alexander William or Bill Alexander may refer to: Literature *William Alexander (poet) (1808–1875), American poet and author * William Alexander (journalist and author) (1826–1894), Scottish journalist and author *William Alexander (author) (born 1976), ...

's Georgia Tech squad, winning by a score of 7 to 6. Robertson led Oglethorpe for ten seasons, and was succeeded by John Patrick following the 1933 season. Robertson was inducted into the Oglethorpe Athletics Hall of Fame in 1962, and was remembered as "a football genius...lively, prankish and warmhearted." He died in Coral Gables, Florida in 1962 at age 65.

Head coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Harry 1896 births 1962 deaths American football ends American football tackles Canadian players of American football Cape Cod Baseball League players (pre-modern era) Falmouth Commodores players Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels football coaches Rochester Jeffersons players Syracuse Orange football coaches Syracuse Orange football players People from Chambly, Quebec Sportspeople from Montérégie Sportspeople from Somerville, Massachusetts Players of American football from Middlesex County, Massachusetts Sportspeople from Quebec Coaches of American football from Massachusetts Players of American football from Worcester, Massachusetts