Stanley Rankin Robb (September 19, 1899 – January 9, 1959) was an

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

lineman and

end End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: **End (category theory) ** End (topology) ** End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) ** End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron footba ...

who played one season in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL) for the

Canton Bulldogs The Canton Bulldogs were a professional American football team, based in Canton, Ohio. They played in the Ohio League from 1903 to 1906 and 1911 to 1919, and the American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football Lea ...

. A native of

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsyl ...

, he attended Peabody High School and

Mercersburg Academy Mercersburg Academy (formerly Marshall College and Mercersburg College) is an independent selective college-preparatory boarding & day high school in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. Founded in 1893, the school enrolls approxim ...

, after which he played college football for the

Centre Praying Colonels Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky. It is an undergraduate college with an enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. Centre was officially chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819. The college is a ...

(1920) and

West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats The West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats are the athletic teams that represent West Virginia Wesleyan College, located in Buckhannon, West Virginia, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Bobcats compete as members of the Mountain East Conferen ...

(1921). Robb began his professional football career in 1922, splitting the year between the

Holmesburg Athletic Club The Holmesburg Athletic Club was a professional football team from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, that was in existence from around 1915 until 1923. The team laid claim to the Philadelphia City Championship in 1919 and 1920. Alumni Th ...

and Philadelphia Quakers. He played the 1923 season with the

Clifton Heights Orange & Black The Clifton Heights Orange and Black was a professional football team from Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania, a town located just to the southwest of Philadelphia, from 1921 until around 1932. The team was operated by the Clifton Heights Athletic ...

before joining the

Pottsville Maroons The Pottsville Maroons were an American football team based in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, in the northeastern part of the state. Founded in 1920, they played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1925 to 1928. In 1929 they relocated to Bosto ...

for their

Anthracite League The Anthracite League, also referred to as the Anthracite Association, was a short-lived American football minor league comprising teams based in coal-mining towns in eastern Pennsylvania (hence the league name's reference to anthracite coal). Th ...

championship year in 1924. Robb joined the Canton Bulldogs, coached by his brother

Harry Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

, in 1926, playing what would be his only three games in the NFL while scoring one

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Americ ...

. He later returned to Clifton Heights to finish his career.

Early life and education

Stanley Rankin Robb was born on September 19, 1899, in

. He attended Peabody High School where he played football as a

tackle Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking ...

, being described as a "star" player. Robb also attended

for a time. Around 1917, he enlisted in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. After graduating from high school, he assisted in coaching the

linemen Lineman or linesman may refer to: In personal roles: *Lineworker, one who installs and maintains electrical power, telephone, or telegraph lines *Lineman (gridiron football), a position in American football *Head linesman, the American football of ...

at Peabody in 1918. The following year, he was reported as having joined the football team at Penn State College, although a news article from 1920 said that he had played for

The Kiski School , motto_translation = Guide Us Lord , address = 1888 Brett Lane , town = Saltsburg , state = Pennsylvania , zipcode = 15681-8951 , country = Unit ...

that year, being a "star

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

." Robb began playing college football for the

in 1920, appearing as a

right guard Right Guard is an American brand of deodorant and shower gel that is manufactured and sold by Thriving Brands LLC. It is the second largest brand in the male deodorant category in the United States. Right Guard was introduced in 1960 by The Gi ...

left guard In gridiron football, a guard (G), otherwise known as an offensive guard (OG), is a player who lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team on the line of scrimmage used primarily for blocking. Right ...

, and

. He appeared in a number of games for the team, including their match that season against the

Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Harvard College. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2013, there were 42 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports teams for women and men at Harvard, more than at ...

. In the 1920 season finale against

TCU TCU may stand for: Education * Tanzania Commission for Universities, regulatory body for Universities in Tanzania * Texas Christian University, a private university in Fort Worth, Texas ** TCU Horned Frogs, the athletic programs of the school * Tok ...

, he blocked a punt and returned it for a

. Robb was known for his speed at end, with the ''

Chester Times The ''Delaware County Daily Times'' is a daily newspaper published in the Primos section of Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is the only major newspaper in the state to be branded with a county name rather than a city. I ...

'' writing that he "gained national repute as one of the fastest ends ever turned out of Centre College." Robb left to play for the West Virginia Wesleyan football team in 1921. He had left the team by the 1922 season. In addition to playing football, Robb also participated in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

and

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

with his schools. At Centre, he also acted in school minstrel productions.

Professional career

Robb began his professional football career in September 1922, starting the season as an end for the

. By October, he had joined the Philadelphia Quakers. Following the 1922 season, Robb was signed by the

. The ''Chester Times'' said that, "The reputation of Stanley Robb not only while he starred for Centre College, but while he was played last season with Holmesburg and the Philadelphia Quakers, is such that he needs no formal introduction to county fans." He missed several games early in the season, but returned at the end of October. With Clifton Heights, he was mentioned as being one of the "stars" comprising "one of the greatest collections of college stars ever seen on a Delaware County gridiron." Robb played in the

with the

in 1924. The Maroons ended up winning the league championship. Two years later, Robb was signed by the

of the

(NFL). He made his NFL debut against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

on November 2, 1926, and scored a touchdown in the 7–7 tie. He scored near the end of the game in what was described as a "lucky score" to prevent the Giants from winning. The ''

Canton Daily News ''The Repository'' is an American daily local newspaper serving the Canton, Ohio area. It is currently owned by Gannett. History Historically, the newspaper had strong Republican connections, most notably with President William McKinley, who was ...

'' reported the play as follows: Robb appeared in two additional games for the Bulldogs. His next game was against the

Hartford Blues The Hartford Blues of the National Football League played only in the 1926 NFL season, with a record of 3–7. The team was based in Hartford, Connecticut but played at the East Hartford Velodrome. Hall of Famers Season-by-season Reference ...

on November 7, which resulted in a 16–7 loss. He and Ralph Nichols were both ejected after fighting each other. Robb had tackled a Hartford player and Nichols, upset with the force which he used, grabbed Robb by the shoulders and "pulled him away rather roughly." Robb responded by punching him in the chin, and Nichols then began punching Robb all around before the official broke up the fight and dismissed both of them. His final game came against the

Providence Steamrollers The Providence Steamrollers were a Basketball Association of America team based in Providence, Rhode Island. As of 2022, the Steamrollers were the last professional sports franchise from one of the Big Four leagues to be based in Rhode Island. ...

on November 11, after which he left the team. Robb returned to the Clifton Heights Orange & Black in 1927.

Personal life and death

Robb's brother

played college football at Penn State, and later played with him at Pottsville and Canton. Stan played under his brother, who both played and served as head coach, with Canton in 1926. Robb married Beatrice M. Ritter in November 1937. He enlisted in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

in February 1942.National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for Pennsylvania, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947. Robb died on January 9, 1959, at the age of 59.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robb, Stan 1899 births 1959 deaths American football ends American football tackles American football guards Canton Bulldogs players Centre Colonels football players Holmesburg Athletic Club players Philadelphia Quakers (AFL) players Pottsville Maroons players West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats football players High school football coaches in Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pittsburgh Coaches of American football from Pennsylvania