Martin Owen Ruby (June 9, 1922 – January 3, 2002) was an

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

and

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

and the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. In 1884, it became a member of the American Association as the Brooklyn Atlantics before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brook ...

in the

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a major 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 ...

(AAFC),

New York Yanks The New York Yanks were an American football team that played in the National Football League under that name in the 1950 and 1951 seasons. Season-by-season overview 1949 The team began in 1944 as the Boston Yanks, owned by Kate Smith's m ...

of 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),''Will Coach At Tulsa'', ''

Winnipeg Free Press The ''Free Press'' (or FP; founded as the ''Manitoba Free Press''; previously known as the ''Winnipeg Free Press'') is a daily (excluding Sunday) broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It provides coverage of local, provincial, natio ...

'', January 21, 1955, Page 23. and 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 19 ...

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. With a few exceptions, a senior men's football championship has been contested in Western Canada since 1911 ...

(WIFU). He lived in

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and Interstate 35, I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin, Texas, Austin. The city had a U.S. census estimated 2024 popul ...

, while he was a professional player.''Football Dodgers Sign Ruby'', ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', March 23, 1947, Page S9.

College career

He attended

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

, where he was a left tackle who wore #74. His first year as a varsity player was 1940.''Cotton Bowl Like Home To Martin Ruby'', ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', December 27, 1943, Page 8. He weighed 255 pounds. and 6'4". Ruby was named the outstanding lineman in the

Southwest Conference The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference also included schools from Oklaho ...

in 1941. That year, he led the Aggies to their second straight

Cotton Bowl Classic The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game played annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its Cotton Bowl (stadium), namesake ...

appearance against

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

. In 1942 Texas A&M played the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

in the Cotton Bowl Classic. Ruby played left tackle for the South All-Stars who defeated the North, 24–7, in the North–South football game, on December 30, 1944. He was named captain of the Gray squad for the

Blue–Gray Football Classic The Blue–Gray Football Classic was an annual American college football all-star game held in Alabama, usually in late December and often on Christmas Day. The brainchild of Alabama college football legend Champ Pickens, the contest began in ...

in December 1945. Ruby was selected as the

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of the College All-Stars for the 1946

College All-Star Game The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game was a preseason American football game played from 1934 to 1976 between the National Football League (NFL) champions and a team of star college seniors from the previous year. It was also known as the ...

. The All-Stars played the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side, Chicago, Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears from the National ...

, in August. Ruby placed second to

Elroy Hirsch Elroy Leon "Crazylegs" Hirsch (June 17, 1923 – January 28, 2004) was an American professional American football, football player, sport executive and actor. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and the College Football H ...

of the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

in voting for the most valuable player in the game. The All-Stars defeated the Rams 16–0.

Military service

He was sworn into the service at halftime of the 1942 Cotton Bowl Classic. Ruby spent four and a half years in the

Army Air Force 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 ...

. He attained the rank of

, was awarded a Presidential Citation, and two

battle stars A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or service period. T ...

. In December 1944 Ruby was a tackle for the

Randolph Field Randolph Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Bexar County, 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 United ...

Ramblers, the best service team in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

during World War II. They played the Second Air Force Superbombers of

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous c ...

in the Treasury Bond Bowl, at 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 to 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built for the ...

. He also played for the Hawaiian Flyers in 1945. World War II gave Ruby a third chance to play in the Cotton Bowl Classic, and an opportunity to defeat 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 ...

, which Texas A&M had not beaten since 1939. The Randolph Field Ramblers played 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 ...

in the

Professional career

All-America Football Conference

Ruby was selected by the

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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

in the annual draft of college football players, in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, on December 22, 1941. He played his first professional game for the Brooklyn Dodgers against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. The Browns won 26–7 at

Cleveland Stadium Cleveland Stadium, commonly known as Municipal Stadium, Lakefront Stadium or Cleveland Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and foot ...

on October 6, 1946. Ruby helped account for the Dodgers' only score by recovering a Cliff Lewis fumble on the Browns' 6-yard-line, in the 3rd Quarter. Ruby recovered an Andy Dudish fumble early in the 1st Quarter during a November loss to the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

. Ruby was named to the 1946 All-Pro second-team picked by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

, on December 12. He was chosen, along with

Bruiser Kinard Frank Manning "Bruiser" Kinard Sr. (October 23, 1914 – September 7, 1985) was an American football tackle and coach and university athletic administrator. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1951 and ...

, as one of two outstanding tackles named to the 1946

United Press United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ...

All-America Conference All-Star Team. Ruby signed a three-year contract with Dodgers' general manager,

Freddie Fitzsimmons Frederick Landis Fitzsimmons (July 28, 1901 – November 18, 1979) was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher, manager, and coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to with the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodg ...

, in March 1947. He had surgery for floating cartilage in his right knee at St. Vincent's Hospital, in December 1948. The Dodgers and New York Yankees merged in January 1949, reducing the AAFC to seven teams. The Yankee-Dodger aggregation played its home games in

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...

. Ruby scored a touchdown against the

Buffalo Bills (AAFC) The Buffalo Bills were an American football team, based in Buffalo, New York, that played in the All-America Football Conference from 1946 to 1949. During its first season in 1946, the team was known as the Buffalo Bisons; during the last three y ...

in September 1949. In a Brooklyn-New York 17–14 win, Frank Perantoni batted down a pass thrown by

George Ratterman George William Ratterman (November 12, 1926 – November 3, 2007) was an American professional football quarterback who played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the National Football League (NFL). Early life He was born in Cinc ...

, at Civic Stadium. Ruby caught the ball and ran four yards into the end zone.

National Football League

The AAFC folded following the 1949 season. The Browns, 49ers, and Colts moved into 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 ...

for the 1950 season. The remainder of the AAFC players were taken by the NFL via draft. The

New York Bulldogs The New York Yanks were an American football team that played in the National Football League under that name in the 1950 and 1951 seasons. Season-by-season overview 1949 The team began in 1944 as the Boston Yanks, owned by Kate Smith's man ...

changed their name to the New York Yanks. Ruby signed with the Yanks in 1950 as one of the players the team received from the AAFC Yankees.''Yank Eleven Signs Ruby'', ''New York Times'', June 25, 1950, Page 136. In October 1950 Ruby sacked Quarterback

Frankie Albert Frank Cullen Albert (January 27, 1920 – September 4, 2002) was an American professional football player and coach. He played as a quarterback and punter with the San Francisco 49ers in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and later in ...

of the

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 ...

for a

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

near halftime of a game at

. New York won the game, 29–24, in a come from behind victory. Ruby jarred the ball from

Tobin Rote Tobin Cornelius Rote (January 18, 1928 – June 27, 2000) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadia ...

of 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 ...

during an October 20 contest in New York. The ball was recovered for a 1st Quarter touchdown by Jack Russell of the Yanks.

Western Interprovincial Football Union

In July 1951 Yanks' owner, Ted Collins, initiated legal action against Ruby and guard George Brown. Both had signed contracts to play in Canada. One of Ruby's opponents,

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...

quarterback

Jackie Parker John Dickerson "Jackie" Parker (January 1, 1932 – November 7, 2006) was an American gridiron football player and coach. He was an All-American in college football and professional football player in the Canadian Football League (CFL), playing ...

, was a rookie out of the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

. He reflected about his fear of Ruby in a 1972 ''

'' article. Parker's coach,

Pop Ivy Lee Frank "Pop" Ivy (January 25, 1916 – May 17, 2003) was an American football player and coach who was the only person to serve as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL), the American Football League (AFL) and the Western Interpro ...

, instructed his staff to study film in hopes of finding a weakness in Ruby's game. The coaches found a tendency in the way Ruby positioned his left foot when he lined up in a three point stance. When he intended to come straight ahead the tackle placed his left foot forward. When he wanted to cut left he positioned his left foot back. One of Parker's teammates,

Johnny Bright John Dee Bright (June 11, 1930 – December 14, 1983) was an American professional football player in the Canadian Football League (CFL). A troubling racist incident he endured as a college football player in the U.S. caused rule changes in the ...

, did not think the advance scouting of Ruby helped the Eskimos very much. After getting smashed for a loss by Ruby, Bright grumbled in the huddle, ''I guess we gotta learn to live with him.'' Ruby was ejected from a September 1951 game with the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

for slugging Dick Pinkston near the end of the first half. Ruby was selected as one of six Roughriders named to the 1956

Canadian Press The Canadian Press (CP; , ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Press has been a private, not-for-profit c ...

All-StarTeam. Players were chosen by football writers and coaches in the league cities.''Bombers Dominate Offensive Team'', ''Winnipeg Free Press'', November 9, 1956, Page 35. Ruby and a teammate, defensive back Larry Isbell, barely missed taking an ill-fated Vancouver to Montreal Trans-Canada Airlines plane which experienced engine failure above

Hope, British Columbia Hope is a district municipality at the confluence of the Fraser River, Fraser and Coquihalla River, Coquihalla rivers in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Hope is at the eastern end of both the Fraser Valley and the Lower Mainland regio ...

, on December 10, 1956. They had tickets on the following flight to Montreal after passing on the earlier flight. The missing plane's pilot turned back at

Princeton, British Columbia Princeton is a town municipality in the Similkameen Country, Similkameen region of southern British Columbia, Canada. The former mining and railway hub lies at the confluence of the Tulameen River, Tulameen into the Similkameen River, just east o ...

, while facing snow and ice. The Trans Canada airliner, carrying 62 people, went down in the Chilliwack Mountain region of British Columbia. Ruby had just finished playing in the East–West All-Star Game.''Isbell, Ruby Missed Plane'', '' Waco News-Tribune'', December 11, 1956, Page 1. He was inducted into the

Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about the CFL, ...

in 1974.

Coach

In January 1965, Ruby was named head line coach by the

University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a Private university, private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Presbyterian Church, although it is now nondenominational, and the campus ...

. He had coached earlier at

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

and Texas A&M University.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruby, Martin 1922 births 2002 deaths American football offensive tackles American football defensive tackles Players of Canadian football from Texas Canadian football defensive linemen Canadian football offensive linemen Baylor Bears football coaches Brooklyn Dodgers (AAFC) players New York Yankees (AAFC) players New York Yanks players Randolph Field Ramblers football players Saskatchewan Roughriders players Texas A&M Aggies football coaches Texas A&M Aggies football players Tulsa Golden Hurricane football coaches Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II United States Army Air Forces officers Players of American football from Lubbock, Texas American emigrants to Canada Waco High School alumni Military personnel from Texas