Bradbury Robinson

Lore & Background

Robinson played college football at the University of Wisconsin in 1903 and at Saint Louis University from 1904 to 1907. In 1904, through personal connections to Wisconsin governor Robert M. La Follette, Sr. and his wife, Belle Case, Robinson learned of calls for reforms to the game of football from President Theodore Roosevelt, and began to develop tactics for passing. After moving to Saint Louis University, Robinson threw the first legal forward pass in the history of American football on September 5, 1906, at a game at Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He became the sport's first triple threat man, excelling at running, passing, and kicking.

Robinson graduated from Saint Louis University in 1908 with a medical degree and practiced as a surgeon at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. In World War I, he was commissioned a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, arriving in France in 1918 where he became an instructor in the use of the newly developed tank, later serving as a front line infantry officer in the last ten days of the war. He returned to France after the war to study advanced medical techniques at the University of Bordeaux. In the early 1920s, he oversaw the medical screening of immigrants while serving on the European staff of Hugh S. Cumming, Surgeon General of the United States. He returned to the United States in 1926 and practiced medicine in St. Louis, Michigan, where he was twice elected the city's mayor. In the 1940s, Robinson was among the first to warn against the dangers of DDT use in agriculture.

Reader's Guide

Bradbury Robinson's significance lies primarily in his role as the quarterback who threw the first legal forward pass in American football, a play that fundamentally altered the sport. His development of the pass was rooted in political pressure from President Theodore Roosevelt to reduce injuries and save the game from abolition. Robinson learned to throw a spiral from teammate H.P. Savage at Wisconsin, then transferred to Saint Louis University, where he executed the historic pass on September 5, 1906. Beyond football, Robinson's life reflects a pattern of pioneering service: as a surgeon at the Mayo Clinic, a World War I tank instructor and infantry officer, a medical screener of immigrants in Europe, and a two-term mayor of St. Louis, Michigan. His later warning about the dangers of DDT in the 1940s shows a continued willingness to challenge prevailing practices. Robinson's legacy is that of a multi-faceted innovator whose athletic contribution reshaped American football while his medical and civic work demonstrated a commitment to public welfare.

Did You Know?

• He learned to throw a spiral from teammate H.P. Savage, who later became National Commander of the American Legion.
• Robinson was twice elected mayor of St. Louis, Michigan, after returning from Europe in 1926.