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| No. 84, 81 | |||||||||
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| Position | Defensive end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1925-12-06)December 6, 1925 Stamford, Connecticut, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | May 31, 2011(2011-05-31) (aged 85) Stamford, Connecticut, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Stamford (Connecticut) La Salle Military Academy (Oakdale, New York) | ||||||||
| College | Arnold (1947–1950)[1] | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1951: 19th round, 228th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Executive profile atPro Football Reference | |||||||||
Andrew Richard Robustelli (December 6, 1925 – May 31, 2011[2]) was an American professionalfootball player who was adefensive end in theNational Football League (NFL) for theLos Angeles Rams and theNew York Giants. He playedcollege football atArnold College and was selected in the nineteenth round of the1951 NFL draft. Robustelli was a six-time first-teamAll-Pro selection and was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
Robustelli was born on December 6, 1925, inStamford, Connecticut, to Lucien Robustelli, an Italian-American and his wife Catherine Robustelli. He attendedStamford High School, where he excelled in football and baseball. At age 18, he enlisted in theUnited States Navy and served on theUSS William C. Cole in the Pacific Theater. After the war, he attended the now-defunct Arnold College, inMilford, Connecticut, where he played both football and baseball. After college, he was drafted in the NFL by the Los Angeles Rams in the nineteenth round of the1951 NFL draft. In June 1951, he was offered a tryout with the New York Giants baseball club. The Giants offered Robustelli a $400 contract to play for their minor league affiliate, the Knoxville Smokies.[3]
A two-way end at Arnold College, Robustelli was selected by theLos Angeles Rams in the nineteenth round of the1951 NFL draft and was considered a long shot to make the team. The Rams were impressed with his determination and toughness as a defensive end and he not only made the team, he was anAll-Pro in 1953 and 1955. He played for the Rams until he was traded to theNew York Giants in 1956.
Robustelli spent nine seasons with the Giants, playing for six conference champions and one NFL championship team. He was a starter on the Giants defense from 1956 until his retirement after the1964 season.
In Robustelli's first season, the Giants won the NFL championship. They won Eastern Division titles in 1958, '59, '61, '62, and '63, losing in the NFL championship game each time, in 1958 and 1959 to the Baltimore Colts, in 1961 and 1962 to theGreen Bay Packers, and in 1963 to theChicago Bears.
With the Giants, Robustelli was an All-Pro in 1956, and 1958 through 1960. He received the 1962Bert Bell Award as best player in the NFL, one of the few defensive players to do so. He played in 174 NFL games, missing only one in his career. Over his career, he recovered 22fumbles (the NFL record when he retired) andintercepted two passes, returning both for touchdowns.
Although small for a defensive end at 6'0" and 230 pounds, Robustelli was exceptionally smart, quick, and strong and known as a superb pass rusher.[4] Robustelli also holds the distinction of being the only football player to have played in the first two nationally televised NFL games.[5]
Robustelli returned to the Giants when he was appointed as its director of operations on December 17, 1973. He took over day-to-day control of the Giants, including most football matters. OwnerWellington Mara had been making the team's football decisions himself since joining the Giants organization in the 1930s, and retained control over on-field matters even after the death of his older brotherJack in 1965 made him principal owner of the team. However, he had finally been prevailed upon to give up some of his authority. Although Mara retained the final say on football decisions, for all intents and purposes, Robustelli was the team's firstgeneral manager.[6]
He took over a team whose 2–11–1 record the previous season was the worst in theNational Football Conference (NFC).[7] The Giants had to play home games at theYale Bowl in1974 andShea Stadium in1975 before they were finally able to move intoGiants Stadium in1976.
The Giants never had a winning record during Robustelli's five years in the front office. Their best finish during that span was 6–10–0 in1978, a season which included a 19–17 debacle to thePhiladelphia Eagles on November 19 which ended with what is known to Giantsfans as simply "Miracle at the Meadowlands." Robustelli announced his resignation as director of operations in conjunction with the Giants' dismissal of head coachJohn McVay on December 18, 1978, one day after the regular season finale. He had decided one year prior that the 1978 season would be his last with the ballclub.[8] He was succeeded byGeorge Young 58 days later on February 14, 1979.[9]
After his retirement as an active player, Robustelli spent one year (1965) as acolor analyst forNBC's coverage of theAmerican Football League. That same year, he purchased Stamford-based Westheim Travel and renamed it Robustelli Travel Services, Inc. Specializing in corporate travel management, it grew into Robustelli World Travel by the time it was sold toHogg Robinson Group in 2006.[10]
Robustelli also founded National Professional Athletes (NPA), asports marketing business which arranged appearances by sports celebrities at corporate functions, and International Equities, which evolved into Robustelli Merchandise Services. The latter eventually became the foundation for Robustelli Corporate Services.[10]
Robustelli was namedWalter Camp Man of the Year in 1988. He is an inductee of both thePro Football Hall of Fame (class of 1971) and theNational Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.[4][11]
Robustelli died on May 31, 2011, from complications following surgery to remove a kidney stone.
Son Bob Robustelli published a biography of his father in 2024, "The Pope of the NFL: The Andy Robustelli Story and the Family That Loved Him".[12]
A grandson, Andrew Robustelli, played college football atJacksonville University, attended rookie minicamp with the New York Giants in 2015, and played for theJacksonville Sharks of theArena Football League in 2016.[13][14][15] Another grandson, Joe, plays Canadian football with theSaskatchewan Roughriders.[16]
Robustelli's great nephewDan Sileo played in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys.
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