Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
ROBERTS, William J.
ROBERTS, William J. (Dubuque, IA, Sept. 11, 1929--Edina, MN, Aug. 15, 2007). Roberts, known as the "Dubuque Express" and “Bullet Bob,” played as a star fullback for Dartmouth in the late 1940s. (1) He led the Ivy League in rushing yardage as a junior and was the league's top fullback during his senior year. Despite missing three games due to a leg injury, Roberts was proclaimed the best running back in Dartmouth football history with a record of 1,500 yards in two years. He was named to the all-Ivy League team two years. (2) During his senior year, he was an all-Eastern choice and was named starting fullback in the North-South post season game.
In the early days of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Roberts trained Chinese nationalist guerrillas on Formosa. He then joined the Marines.
Roberts was the leading ground gainer for the Quantico Marines. He then signed a contract with the Green Bay Packers and played four games as half-back with Green Bay during 1956. (3) He moved to the British Columbia Lions in the Canadian League for 1957, his last season in the sport. He moved into a career in business and retired in 1991 as the national sales manager for 3M. (4)
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Source:
1. Tigges, John. They Came From Dubuque, Dubuque: Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1983, p. 17
2. Ibid.
3. "Bill Roberts," Wikipedia, Online: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Roberts_(American_football)
4. Draper, Norman, "Former NFL Player, 3M Manager William J. Roberts Dies," Online:http://www.startribune.com/local/11588231.html