Arthur Pierce Robinson (February 23, 1879 – September 30, 1944) was an

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

coach and businessman. He was the head coach of the

Rutgers Scarlet Knights football The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football program represents Rutgers University in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). Rutgers competes as a member of the Big Ten Conference. Prior to joining t ...

team during the

1901 college football season The 1901 college football season had no clear-cut champion, with NCAA-designated "major selectors" retroactively selecting 1901 Michigan Wolverines football team, Michigan and 1901 Harvard Crimson football team, Harvard as NCAA Division I FBS na ...

. He later worked for more than 24 years for the Ransome Concrete Machinery Company of

Dunellen, New Jersey Dunellen () is a borough in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located within the Raritan Valley region of central New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,637, an increase of 410 ...

Early years

Robinson was born in 1879 in Lapeer Township,

Cortland County, New York Cortland County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population of Cortland County was 46,809. The county seat is Cortland. The county is named after Pierre Van Cortlandt, president of the conventio ...

. He attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, where he graduated with honors with a civil engineering degree in 1903.

Football coach at Rutgers

While studying at Princeton, Robinson, at age 21, served as the head football coach at nearby

Rutgers College Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College and was aff ...

in 1901. He compiled a record of 0–7 during his one season as the team's head coach.

Business career and family

After graduating from Princeton, Robinson worked for the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

for a year-and-a-half. He next operated a contracting business of his own until January 1907. In February 1907, he moved to

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

in the employ of a northern contracting firm. In June 1907, he was married to Mary Louise Wallace. They had three children: Ellen Emeline (born 1908), John Wallace (born 1909), and Mary. In October 1909, he became employed by the W. E. Austin Machinery Co. in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

. By August 1913, he had been promoted to vice president. He was responsible for overseeing projects throughout the south and in Cuba. Robinson next worked for more than 24 years for the Ransome Concrete Machinery Company of

, eventually retiring as the company's vice president and sales manager. In 1918, Robinson was living in

Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield is a City (New Jersey), city in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Nicknamed "The Queen City",

, with his wife Mary, and working as the sales manager for the Ransome Concrete Machinery Company. At the time of the 1920 United States Census, he was living in Plainfield with his wife Mary and three children: Ellen, John and Mary. At the time of the 1930 and 1940 Censuses, he remained in Plainfield with his wife Mary. In 1942, Robinson was still living in Plainfield and working for the Ransome Concrete Machinery Co.Draft registration card for Arthur Pierce Robinson, born February 23, 1879, in Lapeer Township, Cortland County, New York. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 atabase on-line National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; ; State Headquarters: New Jersey. Robinson died in September 1944 at

Muhlenberg Hospital Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center was a community-based acute care hospital in Plainfield, New Jersey. History It was founded in 1877 by the residents of Plainfield after a railroad accident. Job Male, the first mayor of Plainfield, donated the ...

in Plainfield at age 66. He was survived by his wife Mary Louise Wallace Robinson, two daughters, and a son.

Head coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Arthur P. 1879 births 1944 deaths American construction businesspeople Rutgers Scarlet Knights football coaches Princeton University alumni People from Cortland County, New York