Robert Pendexter "Dexter" "Deck" Shelley (June 4, 1906 – December 17, 1968) was born and raised in

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

. He was recruited to play high school football in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

for the Terrill School, a forerunner of St. Mark's School of Texas. He went on to become an all conference running back for the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

. During the 1929 edition of the rivalry game between Texas and the University of Oklahoma, Shelley recovered an early fumble on defense and then scored a rushing touchdown to catalyze the victory.

Professional career

Shelley was a player in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

. He split the

1931 NFL season The 1931 NFL season was the 12th regular season of the National Football League. The league decreased to 10 teams due to financial hardships caused by the Great Depression: while the Cleveland Indians (NFL 1931), Cleveland Indians joined as an ...

between the

Providence Steam Roller The Providence Steam Rollers (also referred to as the Providence Steam Roller, the Providence Steamroller and the Providence Steamrollers) were a professional American football team based in Providence, Rhode Island in the National Football Leag ...

and the

Portsmouth Spartans The Portsmouth Spartans were a professional American football team that played in Portsmouth, Ohio, from their founding in 1928 to their relocation to Detroit in 1934. Originally drawing players from defunct independent professional and semi-prof ...

before splitting the following season between the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

and 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 a running back on offense and a defensive back and linebacker on defense.

References

Players of American football from San Antonio Providence Steam Roller players Portsmouth Spartans players Green Bay Packers players Chicago Cardinals players Texas Longhorns football players 1906 births 1968 deaths St. Mark's School (Texas) alumni {{linebacker-1900s-stub

Professional career

See also

References