Jamal Robertson (born January 10, 1977) is a former American and

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

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)#Offense ...

and

kick returner A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another positio ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at Ohio Northern and played professionally 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 ...

(NFL) and

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL) from 2001 to 2011. Originally from

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

, Robertson was a two-time Division III All-American at Ohio Northern. An

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2001, he began his professional football career on the practice squad of the CFL team

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

. Robertson then played for five seasons in the NFL, primarily as a kick returner. He signed with the NFL's

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

in early 2002 and played for the

NFL Europe NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa) was a professional American football league that functioned as the List of developmental and minor sports leagues, developmental minor league of the Nati ...

team

Rhein Fire Rhein Fire may refer to either of two American football franchises: * Rhein Fire (NFL Europe) The Rhein Fire were a professional football team in the NFL Europe, formerly the World League of American Football. Established in Düsseldorf, Germany ...

prior to debuting with the 49ers later that year. From 2004 to 2005, Robertson played for the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

, where he helped the 2005 team advance to the NFC Championship. After playing briefly for the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

very late in the 2006 season, Robertson returned to the CFL for his later football career. He played for the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

from 2008 to 2009 and

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

from 2010 to 2011. In his final pro football season, Robertson was part of the 2011 BC Lions team that won the

99th Grey Cup The 99th Grey Cup was a Canadian football game between the Canadian Football League East Division, East Division champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Canadian Football League West Division, West Division champion BC Lions to decide the champion ...

Early years

Born in

Washington, D. C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, Robertson grew up in

and graduated from Stebbins High School in nearby Riverside in 1997. He rushed for 2,029 yards his senior year for Stebbins High School, in 1996.

College career

Robertson attended

Ohio Northern University Ohio Northern University (Ohio Northern or ONU) is a private college in Ada, Ohio, United States. Founded by Henry Solomon Lehr in 1871, ONU offers over 60 programs across five undergraduate and graduate colleges and is affiliated with the Unit ...

and played at

and

for its

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is the lowest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that do not offer athletic scholarships to student- ...

Ohio Northern Polar Bears football team from 1997 to 2000. As a senior in 2000, Robertson led Division III football in all-purpose yards with a school record 2,308 and set a rushing yards record of 1,664. At Ohio Northern, in 1999 and 2000, Robertson earned first-team

Hewlett-Packard The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company. It was founded by Bill Hewlett and David Packard in 1939 in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California ...

Division III All-American and All-

Ohio Athletic Conference The Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. All member institutions are located in Ohio. Formed in 1902, it is the third oldest athletic conference in the United States ...

honors both seasons. Following his senior season, Robertson was Ohio Northern's all-time career leader in rushing yards (4,169), all-purpose yards (5,388), and touchdowns (56).

Professional career

Early CFL career and NFL Europe (2001–2002)

After going undrafted in the

2001 NFL draft The 2001 NFL draft was the 66th draft annual of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible professional football players. The draft, which is officially referred to as the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at the Th ...

, Robertson signed with the

of the

(CFL) and spent the 2001 season on the Stampeders' practice squad. On January 23, 2002, Robertson signed with the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a 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 Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

team

, which allocated him to the

NFL Europa NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally founded ...

on February 6. On a Fire team that finished runner-up in World Bowl X, Robertson had eight touchdowns, including an NFL Europe record 90-yard touchdown run, and was eventually named NFL Europe's offensive MVP.

San Francisco 49ers (2002–2004)

After being inactive for the first five weeks of his NFL debut season of 2002, Robertson played in six games for the 49ers on special teams. He returned 11 kickoffs for 242 yards, including a long of 42 yards, and had one special teams tackle. Due to a hamstring injury, Robertson was placed on injured reserve on December 30. In 2003, Robertson played in nine games off the bench. He had 32 rushing attempts for 136 yards and three special teams tackles. Robertson played in seven games for the 49ers in 2004, with 25 kick returns for 560 yards and 16 carries for 71 yards, including his first NFL touchdown, a one-yard run against the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

on September 19. Although Robertson's touchdown gave the 49ers a 27–23 lead, Robertson lost a fumble on a later drive, and the Saints scored the game winning touchdown on the resulting drive and won the game 30–27. On November 2, the 49ers waived Robertson.

Carolina Panthers (2004–2005)

On November 13, 2004, Robertson was signed by the

as a free agent. In five games, Robertson returned six kickoffs for 180 yards and made one special teams tackle. Robertson made more appearances at running back in 2005 due to injuries to Stephen Davis, DeShaun Foster, and Nick Goings. Playing seven regular season games that season, Robertson had 14 rushing plays for 41 yards and a touchdown and returned 16 kickoffs for 343 yards. Robertson also played in all three of the Panthers' postseason games including the NFC Championship, recording 19 rushing, 27 receiving, and 186 kick return yards. Following the preseason, the Panthers cut Robertson on September 2, 2006.

Atlanta Falcons (2006)

On December 12, 2006, Robertson was signed by the

due to injuries to

Warrick Dunn Warrick De'Mon Dunn (born January 5, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12th overall in the 1997 NFL ...

and Jerious Norwood. Robertson appeared in one game for the Falcons. Prior to the preseason, Robertson was released on August 8, 2007.

Later CFL career (2007–2011)

Due to injuries to running backs Corey Holmes, Wes Cates, and Josh Ranek the Saskatchewan Roughriders signed Robertson on November 14, 2007. Blue Bombers at Argonauts 2009-08-01

On June 5, 2008, he was traded to the

in exchange for Leron Mitchell. The trade came after Argonaut starter Tyler Ebell ruptured his Achilles tendon, necessitating a move for Toronto. Robertson started seven out of 17 games played in 2008, with 548 yards and six touchdowns rushing, 258 yards and one touchdown receiving, and 333 yards on kickoff returns. In 2009, Robertson played in 18 games where he rushed for 1,031 yards and nine touchdowns, received for 482 yards and 37 yards, and had 191 kickoff return yards. On March 22, 2010, Robertson signed with the

. Starting all 16 games played, Robertson had 953 yards and eight touchdowns on rushing plays and 387 yards and a touchdown as a receiver. He re-signed with the

on January 24, 2011. In a season where the Lions won the

, Robertson had seven starts in nine games and had 296 rushing yards with three touchdowns, 170 receiving yards with one touchdown, and 69 kickoff return yards. On December 1, 2011, Robertson retired from football.

References

External links

Official websiteNFL.com profileJust Sports Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Jamal 1977 births Living people American football running backs Atlanta Falcons players Canadian football running backs Carolina Panthers players Ohio Northern Polar Bears football players Rhein Fire players San Francisco 49ers players Saskatchewan Roughriders players Toronto Argonauts players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen Players of American football from Washington, D.C. Players of American football from Dayton, Ohio Players of Canadian football from Dayton, Ohio