Harry Duplein Robb (May 11, 1897 – December 15, 1971) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player and coach during the 1920s.

Biography

College and military

Robb was born in

Pitcairn, Pennsylvania Pitcairn is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, east of Pittsburgh's central business district, named for Robert Pitcairn, an official of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Early in the 20th century, Pitcairn was the site of large railroad ...

and attended Peabody High School in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. Upon his high school graduation, he attended college at both

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State became ...

and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. Playing the positions of halfback, fullback and

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

, Robb was a standout in football at the college level. In 1916, he scored 36 points for the Nittany Lions against

Gettysburg College Gettysburg College is a private liberal arts college in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1832, the campus is adjacent to the Gettysburg Battlefield. Gettysburg College has about 2,600 students, with roughly equal numbers of men and women. ...

, 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 The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

instead, serving as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was again elected to captain 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 End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: ** End (category theory) ** End (topology) **End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) **End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron footbal ...

. During the war, he was stationed with the 79th Infantry Division in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. 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 The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

in 1922) with the

Canton Bulldogs The Canton Bulldogs were a professional American football team, based in Canton, Ohio. They played in the Ohio League from 1903 to 1906 and 1911 to 1919, and the American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football Leag ...

, playing alongside football legend

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe ( Sac and Fox (Sauk): ''Wa-Tho-Huk'', translated as "Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was the first Native ...

. At Canton, he helped the Bulldogs win back-to-back

NFL Championships Throughout its history, the National Football League (NFL) and other rival American football leagues have used several different formats to determine their league champions, including a period of inter-league matchups to determine a true national c ...

in 1922 and 1923. In 1924, the

Pottsville Maroons The Pottsville Maroons were an American football team based in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, in the northeastern part of the state. Founded in 1920, they played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1925 to 1928. In 1929 they relocated to Boston ...

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 Wilbur Francis "Pete" Henry (October 31, 1897 – February 7, 1952) was an American football player, coach, and athletic administrator. He was a charter inductee into both the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 and the Pro Football Hall of Fam ...

. 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. He was an official (umpire) in the 1947 NFL championship game between the Cardinals and Eagles. In 1962, he donated a wool Canton Bulldogs warm-up sideline jacket from the early 1920s to the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...

. In 1963, Robb represented his former teammate,

Wilbur Henry Wilbur Francis "Pete" Henry (October 31, 1897 – February 7, 1952) was an American football player, coach, and athletic administrator. He was a charter inductee into both the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 and the Pro Football Hall of Fa ...

, as Henry was inducted into the

Death

Robb died on December 15, 1971, at his home in

Greenville, Pennsylvania Greenville is a borough with home rule status in northwestern Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located along the Shenango River, it lies roughly 80 miles from both Pittsburgh and Cleveland. It is 1.89 square miles in area, and had a ...

, where he had moved recently from Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The cause of death was a shotgun wound to the chest, which was ruled a suicide.

Head coaching record

College

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robb, Harry 1897 births 1971 suicides American football fullbacks American football halfbacks American football quarterbacks United States Army personnel of World War I Canton Bulldogs coaches Canton Bulldogs players Catholic University Cardinals football coaches Columbia Lions football players National Football League officials Penn State Nittany Lions football players Pottsville Maroons (Anthracite League) players Pottsville Maroons players Union Quakers of Philadelphia players People from Pitcairn, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania Suicides by firearm in Pennsylvania United States Army officers Military personnel from Pennsylvania