Bradbury Robinson

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Bradbury Norton Robinson Jr. (February 1, 1884 – March 7, 1949) was a pioneer of American football, later a doctor, nutritionist, conservationist and local politician.

Early life and college football
- Born in Bellevue, Ohio, Robinson grew up on a small farm in Baraboo, Wisconsin. He played football at the University of Wisconsin in 1903, then moved to Saint Louis University (SLU), where he played from 1904 to 1907.
- While at Wisconsin, he helped push ideas for reforming the game after learning about President Theodore Roosevelt’s call for safety and better play. He then joined SLU, where he and coach Edward B. Cochems helped develop the forward pass.
- On September 5, 1906, against Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Robinson threw the first legal forward pass in college football history (a touchdown to John Schneider). This moment helped launch the modern passing game.
- He became the sport’s first true “triple threat,” excelling in running, passing and kicking. The 1906 SLU team went 11–0 and outscored opponents 407–11, becoming famous for their passing attack.

Impact on football
- Robinson’s work with coach Cochems and the new passing rules changed how the game was played, though adoption of the forward pass took years to spread nationwide.
- He was known for long, accurate passes and for helping train teammates to run crisp pass routes. Some accounts credit him with extremely long completions, including reports of passes reaching into the 60s and even 87 yards in the air.
- In 1907 SLU continued to innovate, including the introduction of numbers on uniforms to help fans identify players.

Medical career and military service
- Robinson earned a medical degree from SLU in 1908 and worked as a surgeon at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
- He served as a captain of infantry in the U.S. Army during World War I, arriving in France in 1918 and later teaching tank warfare before moving to the front lines.

Family and later life
- After the war, he studied medicine in Europe and married Yvonne Marie Dewachter in Paris in 1919. They had seven children.
- Returning to the United States in 1926, Robinson practiced medicine in St. Louis, Michigan, and was elected mayor twice (1931 and 1937).
- In 1935, he opened the Robinson Clinic in St. Louis, Michigan, promoting natural health and a holistic approach to diet and exercise.
- In the 1940s, he was among the first to warn about the dangers of using DDT in agriculture, long before environmental concerns became widespread.

Death and legacy
- Bradbury Robinson died on March 7, 1949, in Florida and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
- He is honored in local halls of fame, including the St. Louis Billiken Hall of Fame (1995) and Baraboo High School Athletic Hall of Fame (2022).
- His early work with the forward pass and the 1906 touchdown pass to Schneider is widely recognized as a foundational moment in football history.