Glenn Dobbs Jr. (July 12, 1920 – November 12, 2002) was a professional

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 in the

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the ...

(AAFC). A skilled

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

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 ...

, and punter, Dobbs was named the AAFC's MVP in 1946. After sitting out the 1950 season with a knee injury, Dobbs was persuaded to come out of retirement to play with the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

of the

Western Interprovincial Football Union The West Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League (CFL), its counterpart being the East Division. Although the CFL was not founded until 1958, the West Division and its clubs are descended from earlier leagu ...

(WIFU), forerunner of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL). In 1951 Dobbs was named the Most Valuable Player of the WIFU. Dobbs 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 ...

at the

University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church and the campus architectural style is predominantly Collegiate Gothic. The school traces its origin to ...

, where he was later head football coach from 1961 to 1968 and

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...

from 1955 to 1970. He was inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

as a player in 1980.

Biography

Early years

Dobbs was born July 12, 1920 in

McKinney, Texas McKinney is a city in and the county seat of Collin County, Texas. It is Collin County's third-largest city, after Plano and Frisco. A suburb of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, McKinney is about north of Dallas. The U.S. Census Bureau l ...

. He was a successful

and punter in high school, earning all-state honors while playing for his school in

Frederick, Oklahoma Frederick is a city and county seat of Tillman County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 3,940 at the 2010 census. It is an agriculture-based community that primarily produces wheat, cotton, and cattle. Frederick is home to three dai ...

Collegiate career

Following graduation Dobbs enrolled at the private

, where he played varsity

in the 1940, 1941, and 1942 seasons. A pass-throwing halfback, Dobbs was the hero of the 7th Annual Sun Bowl game, played New Year's Day 1942, completing 20 of his 30 short passes for 201 yards.Bob Ingram
"Rifle-Armed Tailback Hurls Tulsa to 6-0 Win Over Tech; Border Loop Jinx Still On,"
''El Paso Herald,'' Jan. 2, 1942, pg. 10. Dobbs also rushed proficiently and blasted an 85-yard punt in the game, leading a 60-yard drive in the 4th quarter for a 6-0 Tulsa victory over

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

. During his Senior year, 1942, Dobbs led the Golden Hurricane to an undefeated 10–0 record.Richard Goldstein
"Glenn Dobbs, 82, Star Player And Coach of Tulsa Football,"
''New York Times,'' November 15, 2002. In addition to his running and passing skills, Dobbs was the nation's top collegiate punter in the 1942 season, with a 48.3 yards per punt average, One of Dobbs' punts from his own goal line against

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

, traveled nearly 100 yards, pinning the Sooners deep on their own end of the field. Dobbs was named the first

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n in Tulsa football history for his efforts in the successful 1942 season. The No. 4 ranked Golden Hurricane advanced that year to play in the

Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...

, where they fell to

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

by a score of 14–7. At the time of his death Dobbs was still regarded by many as the greatest football player in University of Tulsa history."Tulsa Great Glenn Dobbs Leaves Legacy ,"
University of Tulsa Sports Information Department, November 13, 2002, www.tulsahurricane.com/ He continues to hold the mark for four of the five longest punts in school history, including boots of 87, 79, 78, and 77 yards.

Military football career

Dobbs was selected as the third pick of the

National Football League draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

by the

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...

. He was unable to come to contract terms with the team, however, and instead enlisted in the

U.S. Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

.Bob Braunwart and Bob Carroll
"Glenn Dobbs,"
''The Coffin Corner,'' vol. 2, no. 9 (1980), pg. 1. During the years of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the American military maintained service football teams as part of its program to entertain the troops and the star runner and punter Dobbs was stationed at

Randolph Air Force Base Randolph Air Force Base was an United States Air Force base located at Universal City, Texas ( east-northeast of Downtown San Antonio). Opened in 1931, Randolph has been a flying training facility for the United States Army Air Corps, the Uni ...

near

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

and played for the base team, the Randolph Field Ramblers, leading the squad to a 9–1 record. Dobbs and the Ramblers play in the

1944 Cotton Bowl Classic The 1944 Cotton Bowl Classic was a postseason college football bowl game between the fourteenth ranked 1943 Texas Longhorns football team, Texas Longhorns and the Randolph Field Ramblers, a military institution squad from San Antonio, TX. Backgro ...

, battling the

Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and a ...

to a 7–7 tie. In 1944 Dobbs was transferred to the Second Air Force Superbombers team.Ed Gilleran, Jr.
"Bill Dudley,"
''College Football Historical Society Newsletter,'' vol. 5, no. 1 (November 1991), pg. 15. The Superbombers would eventually fall to Dobbs's former team, the undefeated Randolph Field Ramblers in December 1944 in the Treasury Bond Bowl, held before a crowd of thousands in the

Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 through 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built fo ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Also in 1944, Dobbs played for a team of collegiate and military team all-stars which very nearly upset the NFL Champion

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

in an exhibition game.

All-America Football Conference career

Following the conclusion of his military career, Dobbs signed with the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

of the

, a short-lived rival of the NFL. Dobbs would do his share for Brooklyn as quarterback and fullback. He led them to a win in the first game in franchise history against the Buffalo Bisons on September 8, as Lew Mayne and Dobbs each threw a touchdown pass in a 27-14 win. Dobbs would serve as the starter for eleven of the 12 games for the Dodgers, with Mayne and others having minimal time. He also served as punter and kick/punt returner for the team. However, the Dodgers would not win again for an entire month and won just two more games the whole season to finish 3-10-1. Dobbs and left tackle

Martin Ruby Martin Owen Ruby (June 9, 1922 – January 3, 2002) was an offensive tackle and defensive tackle for the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers in the All-America Football Conference, New York Yanks of the National Football League,''Will Coach ...

were the shining lights for the team (each were named All-Pro), with Dobbs leading the league in passes completed (135) and attempted (269), passing yards (1,886), interceptions (15) alongside punts (80) and punting yards (3,826). In 1947, Dobbs would spend the first two games with Brooklyn, going 12-of-34 with a touchdown and an interception before he was traded to the

Los Angeles Dons The Los Angeles Dons were an American football team in the newly formed football league the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1946 to 1949, and played their home games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Dons were the first profes ...

. He started three games while making appearances in six other games while doing 44 combined punts for 1,909 yards. He threw seven total touchdowns to eight interceptions. He led in just one category: punt returns, having made 19 of them. In 1948, he played ten of the 14 games for the Dons. He would lead the league in completions/attempts (185-of-369) while throwing 2,403 yards for 21 touchdowns to 20 interceptions alongside running 91 times for 539 yards for four touchdowns while punting a league-high 68 times for 3,336 yards. For his efforts, he was named 2nd-team All-Pro. 1949 was the last season of the AAFC and it also would be the last one played for Dobbs in American football. He started six of twelve games and threw 65-of-153 for four touchdowns to nine interceptions while punting 39 times for 1,650 yards. At the time of his departure from football, Dobbs was one of only four players to have punted for 10,000 yards, with

Sammy Baugh Samuel Adrian Baugh (March 17, 1914 – December 17, 2008) was an American professional football player and coach. During his college and professional careers, he most notably played quarterback, but also played as a safety and punter. He ...

Bob Waterfield Robert Stanton Waterfield (July 26, 1920 – March 25, 1983) was an American professional football player and coach. He played quarterback for the UCLA Bruins and Cleveland/Los Angeles Rams and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame ...

, and Roy Zimmerman (all of whom were also quarterbacks used for punting) ahead of him; since 1950, over a hundred players have punted for 10,000 yards.

Canadian football career

Dobbs joined Canada's pro football

in 1951, leading his team to the

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

game, and was named most valuable player in the Canadian Western League that season. He became their player-coach in 1952, but his playing career was hampered by a knee injury. He was a phenomenally popular figure in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

during his brief time there. Following his first season in Regina, a local store sold "Dobber shirts" and "Dobber jeans" and many cars sported unofficial license plates which said "DOBBERVILLE."

Coaching career

After his professional career ended, Dobbs became the athletic director at Tulsa in 1955 and held that position until 1970. Dobbs was also head football coach from 1961 to 1968. His teams led the nation in passing for five straight years (1962–1966) and went to the

Bluebonnet Bowl The Bluebonnet Bowl was an annual college football bowl game played in Houston, Texas. A civic group was appointed by the Houston Chamber of Commerce Athletics Committee in 1959 to organize the bowl game. It was held at Rice Stadium from 1959 ...

in 1964 and 1965. From 1977 to 1979 Dobbs was President of the

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

minor league baseball team. He was a coach and owner of the minor league football team Tulsa Mustangs in 1979 but the team folded after playing only 4 games.

Legacy and death

Dobbs was elected into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 1988. His brother

Bobby Dobbs Robert Lee Dobbs (October 13, 1922 – April 2, 1986) was an American football fullback and coach. Early years After graduating from high school in Frederick, Oklahoma in 1941, Bobby entered University of Tulsa to play football for coach Henry F ...

was also a football player and coach, and preceded Glenn as Tulsa's coach. Dobbs died of cancer November 12, 2002 in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

at the age of 82.

Head coaching record

College

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dobbs, Glenn 1920 births 2002 deaths American football halfbacks American players of Canadian football Canadian football quarterbacks Brooklyn Dodgers (AAFC) players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Los Angeles Dons players Randolph Field Ramblers football players Saskatchewan Roughriders coaches Saskatchewan Roughriders players Second Air Force Superbombers football players Tulsa Golden Hurricane athletic directors Tulsa Golden Hurricane football coaches Tulsa Golden Hurricane football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II People from McKinney, Texas People from Frederick, Oklahoma Coaches of American football from Oklahoma Players of American football from Oklahoma